On Frail Wings
by Skuns
Summary: Our choices are ours to make and the future, ours to take.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The Girl in the Fray

"Ooh, why does it have to be so hot? I think I'm actually melting..." Sumia moaned as she guided her pegasus to Cordelia's flank. The silver-haired queen was patting at the nape of her neck with a hankie while simultaneously tugging at her chest plate. The pale pink of her armor glinted in the blazing sunlight, absorbing just enough heat to feel as though she were cooking from the inside out, something Cordelia knew all too well. Her own silver plating attracted so much angry sunlight that she half-contemplated simply discarding the offending armor. She might be exposed to enemy arrows but at least she'd be cool.

"Perhaps you should fall back? It wouldn't do to have our queen succumb to heatstroke, especially this high off of the ground." Cordelia replied, the smallest amount of concern lacing her voice. She tried not to scowl at her dear friend but her mind was already occupied with plenty.

"Huh? And leave you to guard the skies alone? Don't be ridiculous, Cordelia! I was a soldier way before I ever became a queen!" Sumia debated back. Her face was becoming more flushed by the second but she hastily stuffed her hankie back into the open space at the pointed collar of her chest plate, as if to prove that she could handle both the heat and battle. "It may be hotter than a barbarians boot but that doesn't mean I have to be useless!"

Somehow, Cordelia seemed to forget about Sumia's affinity for providing unnecessary assistance.

"I wasn't implying anything, Sumia. But if you're not well, then you shouldn't fight. Besides, I won't be guarding alone. Cherche is just on the other side of the fortress. I could pair with her if need be."

"But I thought you didn't like Cherche?..."

Now Cordelia really couldn't help the ugly scowl.

"I like Cherche just fine. It's her wyvern that I dislike." Cordelia answered, a bit too harshly than she had intended.

"But Minerva is such a sweetheart! Er, once she's been fed, that is..." Sumia said, holding a finger to her chin as if remembering some incident with the hideous beast.

"I'll take your word for it..." muttered Cordelia. If it hadn't been for that one time when Minerva had tried to make a meal of Icarus, Cordelia's gelding, then the Pegasus Knight might've considered giving the wyvern a chance. But that was some time ago and right now, she couldn't be bothered with forgiving the nature of an oversized lizard. She had other things weighing heavily in her thoughts, as it were.

Seemingly sensing an impending sigh of epic proportions, Sumia nudged her steed to fly a little faster to keep up with her companion.

"Cordelia? Are you alright?"

Cordelia kept her eyes locked on the looming fortress ahead of them, her gaze steely and thoughtful, and just a tiny bit angry. The knight wasn't known for her happy demeanor, nor her welcoming of being humored for it. She was often lost in some ill feeling that, try as she might, always managed to get away from her. She never meant to make those around her uncomfortable with her negative energy; the last thing she wanted was to alienate her friends. But as of late, her life felt like nothing more than a joke. For all of the things that she worked so hard to achieve, her accolades just weren't enough.

"Yes, I'm fine, Sumia. I'm just troubled is all..."

Sumia dropped her own gaze slowly, her features looking a little perplexed as she tried to piece together the puzzle that was Cordelia.

"Ah, um, this isn't about-"

"NO." Cordelia snapped firmly, twisting her head to finally glare at her friend. Her long, cherry-colored hair whipped around to tangle in the hot wind. "I've already told you, I'm done with that."

Sumia pursed her lips together as she gripped her reigns sheepishly. If her cheeks weren't already red from sun exposure then Cordelia could've sworn that the royal knight was blushing, embarrassed by her immediate assumption. Cordelia would never admit that she was partially right...

"I know..." Sumia ventured timidly. "Sorry, I'm just trying to help..."

Cordelia gritted her teeth. If there was one thing that Sumia was able to do without tripping up, it was getting what she wanted. Rumor had it she was so good in fact, that all she had to do was bake the prince a few pies to win his affections. Not to mention the nasty theories set forth by Miriel, about how Sumia feigned weakness so as to garner more attention from her male comrades. Of course, being the level-headed and loyal friend that she was, Cordelia didn't believe a word of any of it; if the rumor or the mage had even a shred of merit, then she would have devoted all of her free time to becoming the best baker in all of Ylisse, and no sympathy would be felt every time Sumia took a stumble. No, Cordelia was much more intelligent than that. Even so, Sumia could be quite the pain in the rump.

_Sigh_...

And there it was, a sigh so infamous that it's reputation preceded itself. An apology and explanation was in order.

"Don't sound so frightened, you of all people know that I don't mean to snap."

"It's okay, Cordelia! Really!" Sumia tittered enthusiastically. "I can tell that something has you frustrated. I'm you're friend, I know these things."

Cordelia slumped her shoulders, defeated in spirit and energy.

The pair continued to steer their mounts circular around the massive fortress, hunting down any thieves that may have escaped the Shepherds initial attack. The structure sat solid, it's interlocking stones and slabs creating a buffer of super dense protection. Robin and Chrom had decided to lead an advance squad into the thieves hideout to weed out the rest of the criminals, as well as locate the stolen property of some local villages. The aerial units and some ground units were left stationed outside to guard against any surprise encounters.

"I'm just bothered by what that girl said to me before she dashed off for the keep." Cordelia said, trying to remain focused on her task at hand without having to resort to shooing Sumia away. Cordelia had always been good at multi-tasking.

"Girl... Oh! The one with the pigtails and attitude?" chirped Sumia, the proverbial lightbulb flashing on over her head.

"Yeah... Call me crazy but, I think she knows me. At least, she was talking like she did. She even said "Oh, Gods, it's you..." before I had even finished approaching her."

"Hmm, and she doesn't look familiar to you?"

"No! Not in the slightest... Well, she sort of looks like someone I might know? I mean, her features look a little familiar, I think. No, I can't recall ever meeting her." Cordelia replied with finality. The girl certainly was unpleasant and Cordelia would remember someone with the amazing ability to be an enormous brat. "She was so rude, too..." She uttered the last bit to herself as she remembered the girl's scathing words.

"Really? How so?"

"She said some things to me. Things like how all I care about is Chr-, the army," Cordelia corrected herself quickly, glancing sideways to see if her companion caught the slip. "And that if I ever cared at all then I would stay out of her way. I don't even know this girl and she's already telling me what to do."

Sumia pondered for a moment.

"She's probably just mistaking you for someone else. Unless..."

Sumia never got to finish her train of thought. In that same moment, the two pegasus knights saw a burst of flame explode high in the air, a flare signaling to the two fliers that they were needed on the ground. Banking Icarus around and holding her silver lance steady and ready, Cordelia lead the way back to the entrance of the fortress where Henry stood sentinel, flailing his arms wildly to catch their attention. Then, with the skill of a seasoned Pegasus Knight, Cordelia brought her mount in for a landing, having him gallop the rest of the way to the entrance once he touched down. Sumia did the same, although she grunted as her landing wasn't nearly so perfect.

"Hey, Cordie, you're Highness, hehehe." He chuckled, greeting them respectively upon their arrival. He was flecked in blood with nearly half of his face covered by a fine layer of the red stuff. A purple tome was clutched in the crook of his arm, and his dark cloak hung thick and heavy around his thin frame. His white bed-head was also speckled with droplets of blood and a large vulpine grin was plastered to his boyish face. He looked positively vampiric and if it weren't for the blinding sunlight shining down on him, then Cordelia would've been convinced that he was one. As much as she tolerated him, he still gave her the willies.

"Please, stop calling me that." She said as she swung Icarus around so as not to trample the Dark Mage. "I'm fine with 'Cordelia'."

"Aww, you're no fun. It's a heck of a lot better than what Gaius calls you, ahaha."

Cordelia frowned, perfectly aware of what Gaius called her.

"Just cut to the chase, Henry. Why did you summon us?"

He slapped a pale hand to his temple, mussing the platinum locks that hung sticky with blood.

"Argh, right! You're needed inside! They're really taking a licking and need back-up!"

"Then we're finished here." She stated, spurring Icarus forward to gallop further into the keep. With a quick glance back to Sumia, she noticed Henry staying put, his maddening smile fading the farther she got away from him. She didn't feel bad for leaving him behind though; he was more than capable of defending the entrance on his own.

The clatter of hooves on tile echoed loudly through the vaulted corridor as the two knights rode swiftly to the fray. Cordelia held the reigns tightly with one hand as the other lofted her lance high, ready to strike out should an enemy ambush them from the shadows of the pillars. It didn't take them long to encroach on the chaos within and in a matter of seconds, Cordelia spotted the advance team holed up on one side of the great hall. Directing Icarus to them, she called for Sumia to follow.

"Oh, thank the Gods..." Chrom heaved when they trotted up to the exhausted team.

"Oh, Chrom! What's going on?! Henry said you needed help!" Sumia burst, jumping down from her mare to embrace her husband. Cordelia shifted her eyes elsewhere.

"It's the gang leader. He's taken a number of his men further into the citadel. If we're going after him then we need all the help we can get."

Someone cleared their throat as obnoxiously as they could. It was the girl.

Chrom shook his head, exasperated.

"Also, Severa is refusing to leave here until we rescue her friend."

"Severa?..." Cordelia trailed off.

"Ugh, that's ME. GAWDS, I don't remember you ever being THIS slow." The girl scowled, flicking a long pigtail over her shoulder with too much sass.

"E-excuse ME?!" Cordelia stammered, unable to believe that anyone, let alone a stranger, could have to gall to speak so callously of her.

"Geez, just forget it! We're wasting time standing around. The longer we wait, the less likely we'll get to Holland! Now, let's MOVE!" Severa shrilled as she held her sword to point their way.

With Falchion in hand, Chrom issued orders for half of the team to leave with Robin in the direction of Nelson, the gang leader. The other half were instructed to follow Severa, protecting her from enemy attacks so that she could locate and rescue her friend. Cordelia sighed heavily when she was placed on Severa detail.

With their orders given, the two smaller teams deviated from the main hall and rushed to their destinations. Severa ran headlong through the maze of corridors, either oblivious of her surroundings or simply not caring because more than once, Cordelia and her fellow Shepherds had to throw themselves into an enemies path of violence, guarding her from harm. It definitely didn't help matters that whenever she looked the young mercenaries way, she was either glowering so furiously or watching the Pegasus Knight with mixed admiration and fear. Cordelia had to double take, just on the off-chance that she was seeing things. Seriously, what was this girls issue?...

Before long, the team made their way down a smaller hallway, ending in a large room where a few more thieves stood guard over numerous chests. Again, Severa rushed forward, calling out to a young man with a pot on his head and patched clothing on his body.

"Severa, wait!" Cordelia cried, kicking Icarus into full gear to chase her down before anyone of the startled enemies could harm the girl.

Just as she feared, a hostile mercenary charged from the shadows, swinging his sword and lunging for her. With equal speed, but far less strength, Severa brought her own weapon up to parry the attack, stopping dead in her tracks as she slipped on the smooth tile of the floor. She shrieked in surprise as she landed hard on her back, her sword still held firmly in place against the edge of the enemies steel blade.

In the time that it took for him to draw back for another strike, Cordelia raced to their location, pulling back on her lance then thrusting it forward with enough force to impale the mercenary on the spearhead.

"Get away from her!" She cried angrily, the weight of the mercenary pulling her arm back as he was dragged across the floor while Icarus continued in his hot pursuit.

Shortening the slack of the reigns, Cordelia brought them to a halt and made a disgusted face. Killing another human being, no matter how much of an enemy he was to her, never got easy. She had to remind herself that it was either him, or Severa, and despite the girl being a loud-mouthed stranger, the sight of her running to an almost-certain death stirred something in her. Something melancholic and eerily familiar. Hopefully, Severa would treat her with a little more grace from now on.

Shaking her lance free from the now dead mercenary, Cordelia turned back to watch as Severa leapt to her feet and joined up with her friend. Whatever she was telling the poor man must've been unpleasant, for she appeared to be giving him an ear-full. The pained expression on his face deepened before softening altogether, though. He nodded, agreeing to whatever terms Severa had laid down before she turned to look forlornly her way.

Deciding that there was no time like the present(the room was also clear of any danger, the rest of the team saw to that), Cordelia hopped down from her saddle and strode back to Severa. She was going to lecture the young girl on the dangers of not looking before one leaps, and finding out just what the hell her problem was. She did just save her life after all, surely she was entitled to at least some sort of explanation.

Severa seemed to sense the impending wrist slapping because she cast her gaze to the floor and shuffled awkwardly.

"I know that you wanted to save your friend," Cordelia started, her brows knitting together in controlled anger. "But that was extremely irresponsible of you. You could have been killed."

Severa clenched her jaw and kept looking everywhere but at the Pegasus Knight.

"In fact, this entire endeavor was nothing more than us acting as your bodyguards. You have no sense of your surroundings and you blindly rush into trouble. If the Shepherds hadn't been here to defend you then you most surely would be dead."

Severa crossed her arms at this point and flung her head back, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. She still refused to look at Cordelia.

"What's the matter with you? Do you have a death wish? And why are you behaving so coldly to me? I don't even know you and yet, you act as if I'd wronged you somehow."

Flicking her pigtails back over her shoulders, Severa still remained quiet, but not totally impassive. Her breathing grew labored as she struggled to control herself, from what Cordelia still had yet to ascertain.

The knight relaxed her posture with another sigh and placed the dull end of her lance on the floor. The girl looked absolutely pitiful, the way she struggled against her feelings of Gods-knows-what. Why she was even running with a band of notorious mercenaries when she had made it clear that she wasn't a part of their schemes was baffling enough. But still, Cordelia found it difficult to stay angry.

"Severa... If you're going to join the Shepherds, then that would make us allies. If we're going to be allies, then the least you can do is be honest with me."

Severa mumbled something under her breath.

"Come again?..."

The mercenary threw her hands up in defeat, her cheeks red from outrage and heat.

"I SAID... I'm your daughter!... GAWDS! How many times do I have to say it?! How obvious do I have to make it?!"

Cordelia stumbled back at the outburst. Her lance clanged loudly against the tiled floor and all she could do was stare in shock. Severa...was her daughter?

Bringing her ironclad fingers to her lips, Cordelia forced herself to speak. "Y-you're my daughter? S-so, you came back...with Lucina?"

Severa huffed, willing herself to calm down and to finally look her mother in the eye.

"Yeah, I did. I've been looking for you ever since."

Cordelia still stood stunned. After all this time, after all of the children that they had rescued, after wondering if she'd ever meet her own, here she was, facing down her rabid, teenage daughter in the most unexpected fashion. When she didn't say or do anything, other than stare with the expression of a trout, Severa rolled her eyes and moved forward to wrap her arms around the knight.

Cordelia stiffened under the tight embrace, unsure of what she should do. She was still having difficulty grasping that her future daughter had just revealed herself to her. It didn't make things any easier, hearing that Severa didn't appear too happy to see her mother. Did she turn out to be an awful parent? What could she have possibly done to the girl to make her resent her so? Cordelia had always known she would eventually want a child. She just didn't think she would end up with one that disliked her...

"Pfft, it's good to see you too, MOM..." Severa growled, letting go of Cordelia reluctantly... Reluctantly?

Cordelia blinked herself back to reality.

"O-oh! I was just..."

The sad look on Severa's face tugged at the knights heart strings.

"Get a hold of yourself, Cordelia" she thought bitterly. "This was bound to happen sooner or later. She's your daughter for God's sake!"

She smiled tenderly at her daughter, reaching out to grip her by the shoulders, drawing her back into her arms.

"I'm sorry. I'm just surprised. I never thought I'd end up with such a beautiful daughter."

"Ha! That won't work on me, mother." Severa scoffed, even though Cordelia distinctly heard a soft giggle. "Sorry if...I'm a little irritable. We didn't have the best relationship back where I come from..."

So, she did turn out to be an awful mother... Cordelia could practically feel her stomach drop to the floor.

"Oh... I see..."

It was then that they parted, Severa stepping back to look her mother up and down.

"You look exactly the same. Just a little bit younger..."

Cordelia nodded slowly, if only for something to respond with.

After several painfully awkward moments, Frederick called out to his team to re-group now that they were finished with their task. Severa turned away to join the rest of the Shepherds but stopped suddenly when Cordelia snatched up her hand. She twisted her head around to stare down her mother, an edgy look to her features and annoyance written all over.

"Severa... You're my daughter, right? Then I swear, whatever I did, er, will do... Gods, this is all so confusing..." She shook her head slightly to gather her thoughts before presenting the girl with a genuinely heartfelt smile. "I'll make it right. Things will be different this time. Whatever happened between us...will not happen again. And I will do everything in my power to give you the life you're real mother wasn't able to. And... I am really glad that you're here..."

Severa rolled her eyes but allowed a small smile to shine through.

"Oh, mom... Don't get all mushy on me now. I wouldn't have come back if I didn't want to see you. And for the record, you were a great mom. The BEST mom. It's just that, sometimes, it felt like I wasn't your priority. That's all... Oh! And you DID die on me! Left one day and never returned! I was so angry at you... Still am... But, I know that it wasn't your fault."

"Well, you don't have to worry about that anymore. You came back to me and I intend to stay with you. We'll save the world together this time."

Before Severa could slip away, Cordelia pulled her back into a crushing embrace and planted a kiss on the top of her head. Severa floundered in her arms, squealing so childishly.

"Argh, stop with the mushy stuff! I already said that I'm glad to see you, isn't that enough?!"

She threw Cordelia's arms off her and straightened up, pulling her shirt down to smooth out any wrinkles and brushing her bangs out of her eyes.

"Geez, I forgot how insufferable you can be sometimes."

"Hehe, whatever you say, dear." Cordelia chuckled. Sure, Severa may act like a spoiled brat, but she had a feeling that it was just a front. If the mercenaries words held any weight to them, it was that she was terribly sad and lonely, and missed her mother like there was no tomorrow. Something Cordelia was now determined to undo.

As the mother/daughter duo went to fall in with the rest of their team(Icarus trotted along behind his mistress obediently), a thought suddenly struck Cordelia like a ton of bricks.

"Hey, Severa? While I'm absolutely thrilled to be your mother, I do have a question... Who's your father?"

Severa swiveled on the spot, her long, blonde pigtails whipping circular around her head, to stare bug-eyed at her mother.

"Whaat?! You're not with daddy yet?!" She screeched.

Cordelia stuttered, taken aback by how weird her legitimate question sounded.

"Um...no? I'm not with anyone. There's really no time for courting when you're at war... Why? Should I be?"

"Pfft, probably still pining for CHROOOM..." Severa muttered sourly.

Cordelia dropped her jaw.

"Hey! You watch your mouth, young lady! You might be my future daughter but you will not talk to me in such a way!" Cordelia berated. She even waved a pointed finger in the young girls face.

Then, Severa did something completely out-of-the-blue. She laughed.

"Bahahaha! Ooh, this is BRILLIANT! I know who you're going to marry but you don't! I could seriously tell you that anyone of these guys becomes your husband and you would believe me! Oh, gawds, that would be hilarious!"

"Don't you dare! That's an absolutely terrible thing to do!" Cordelia glowered. She hardly felt that this was a laughing matter. If Severa wanted to be born in this timeline at all, then she would tell the truth.

"Will you relax? I didn't say I was going to, sheesh! Why would I do that when I have the best daddy in the whole world?"

"Really? So, I do marry a wonderful man?"

"Uh, yeaaah, duuh." Severa replied saucily as she flicked a pigtail back over her shoulder for what felt like the tenth time. "None of these guys hold a candle to my father. He's seriously the best. After you died, he took care of me. We did everything together but then, he died as well..."

"Severa..."

Cordelia placed a hand on her shoulder, a small gesture of comfort.

"Speaking of daddy, where is he? He must be outside still since I didn't see him in the advance squad..."

"Oh, I wonder who he is..." Cordelia said, perhaps a little too giddily because Severa gave her a funny look.

"Well, you'll just have to wait and see then. Because I'm not telling you until I see him... Ahh, I can't wait! I've missed him so so SO much!"

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited myself. The three of us will be a family, just like the others and their children. I wonder... Could he be Stahl? He's a rather nice man. A bit average though..."

"Mother, please." Severa snarked, holding up a palm as if to halt Cordelia's ridiculous girl talk. "Don't be so dumb. Do I LOOK like a brunette to you?"

Cordelia blinked in surprise.

"Oh! Yes, I suppose you're right, dear. Hmm, you're hair color is on the lighter side of the spectrum... In this firelight it looks blonde..." The Pegasus knight analyzed as they passed under a lit torch that stuck out of the wall. "Is your father Libra? Oh Gods, that will never work... He's so much prettier than I am..." She patted at her cheeks, uncomfortable by the thought of everyone mistaking her husband for her wife.

Severa snickered.

"No, mom, he's not my father. You're not chaste enough to deserve the preacher."

Again, Cordelia left her mouth agape.

"Severa! What did I say not ten minutes ag-... Oh no... Ooh no, oh no!" Cordelia gasped, covering her mouth in horror.

Severa quirked an eyebrow.

"Uh, mom? What are you..."

"Not him... Please, not him. Anyone but hiiiim!"

"Mother? Hellooo-"

Cordelia grabbed her daughter but the shoulders and squeezed.

"Severa, tell me that Vaike isn't your father."

Severa scoffed.

"Eh, what?"

"You heard me! Tell me that I do not marry Vaike. And tell me that I don't do...THAT...with him!"

"Why? Would that be so bad? You'd get me out of it."

"Severa... You have no idea what he's like... If he becomes my husband... I-I just don't think I have it in me..."

"Uh-huh. And I didn't think it was possible to time travel. But if it keeps you from getting sick all over me... You can count your lucky stars because that buffoon is definitely NOT my father."

Cordelia sighed the most relaxing and most relieved sigh she thought she ever had. So, her future self kept her wits. That was an enormous weight off her shoulders.

"I'm glad the feeling is mutual." She laughed.

"Yeah, well... It's like I said... No one is better than my father..." Severa glanced sidelong at Cordelia, her features taking on a noticeably stonier look. "Not even Chrom."

The chuckle died in Cordelia's throat at Severa's words. Her lips retreated into a straight line as she slowed her pace, watching Severa pass on by.

"Of course not..."

They finished their trek back to the fortress entrance in silence. Which was just as well because Cordelia now had even more to mull over in her mind. Apparently, she would never get over her intense infatuation with the Ylissean prince. If Severa could recall her mothers unrequited feelings, then perhaps it was one of the things that caused a rift between them? She had admitted to caring for her mother greatly, nearly bursting into tears during their awkward introduction. But the way she spoke of her father, it was pure adoration and love. Like he could do no wrong in her eyes. Well, he was her father after all, he very well should be her hero. Especially when she had failed so spectacularly at trying to be.

But did Severa know something she didn't? Besides her as-of-yet-to-be-named husband... What if something really did happen in the future, something before her death? Perhaps she abandoned her family for Chrom, in more ways than one? All the way up until it took her away from her little girl?

No, that can't be. She just met Severa and she already loved her. Loved her exactly the way she knew she did and most certainly always would. If there was one thing Cordelia was positive of, it was that she would never abandon those she cared about, and she would NEVER leave her daughter for anyone's affections. She would never willingly say goodbye to her child unless it was absolutely necessary, like for their own protection. If she did in fact leave Severa for anyone, it was definitely for her. Cordelia knew that for sure. Yes, that was a lifetime in the future, somewhere she would never get to, but still, she knew that one thing to be true.

"Nothing matters more than the ones you care about..." She thought quietly to herself, while all around her, the two teams greeted and merged back into one. She saw Chrom and Sumia weave their way to the head of the squad to take charge of their exit.

She still had trouble sleeping at night, remembering her sisters in the Pegasus Knights that had died for her escape, all those years ago. If things could've been different, then she would have died right along side them(of course, if things really could have been different, then they wouldn't have had to die in the first place). But it was something she swore she'd never live through again. The guilt and pain of losing someone dear while she was granted a second chance at life was an awful thing to live with, which was why she trained and fought so hard to be stronger for everyone. Whenever she remembered her sisters sacrifice, she would tell herself to make the most with the time they gave her. Otherwise, it'll all have been in vain...

But things could change! Severa was proof of that! Nothing was set in stone or stars, so long as she made a conscious effort to dictate her own life. Maybe she did feel something for Chrom, maybe in this exact moment she was mildly jealous of her sweet, sweet childhood friend. But if her very own daughter coming back to the past to be with her was indicative of anything, it was that she could move on. She could cast away her utterly useless feelings for a man she would never have, and learn to love someone she could. She could have a husband, and she could have a baby girl, and she could be happy as long as she let herself. If the future could be changed, like they were trying to do now, then why couldn't she?

Resolving to tell Severa everything, Cordelia picked up her pace as she lead Icarus by the reigns to the looming exit. She wanted to catch her rebellious daughter before she ventured off to hunt for her father, had to tell her that all she cared for was their little family.

She caught up to her just as they crossed the wide threshold and stepped out in to the still shimmering heat.

"Severa! Wait! I have to tell you something!" She said loudly, grabbing the young girl by her upper arm and stopping her from taking another step.

"Ugh, can't it wait? I want to find father!"

"No, it can't wait! I think it'll help us both to understand where we're coming from. I just can't bear the thought of-"

Severa rolled her head around in annoyance before looking out down the trail that lead to the forts entrance. She ripped her arm from Cordelia's grasp and practically screamed.

"DADDY?!"

"Eh..." Cordelia started, watching as Severa bounded away down the trail to leap on the back of some unknown Shepherd.

Feelings of excitement and nervousness burst in her belly as she also jogged down the trail, Icarus in tow. Forgetting all about her resolve, Cordelia hurried to her daughter, anxious to discover the identity of her future husband. Severa held tightly to her so-called father as he doubled over, lifting her from the ground while he circled on the spot.

"What the-? Ahaha, what's going on?" He laughed, halting Cordelia dead in her tracks.

He didn't need to turn a full three-sixty for her to know who Severa's "daddy" was. All she needed was to hear his sing-song voice and she could picture his ruthless, yet boyish face. For the third time that day, Cordelia brought a hand to her lips, shock freezing her place.

"Mother! I found father!" Severa laughed. She swung her legs up to wrap around his midsection to ride piggyback style as he struggled to remain on his feet, his confusion mixing with amused laughter.

"Father?! I have a kid?! No kidding! Hahahaha!"

He finally circled to Cordelia's direction, stopping for the briefest of moments when he saw her watching.

"Ah, hey Cordie! Didja hear? I have a kid, apparently, haha!"

Cordelia remained still and silent. This was much worse than Vaike...

"Haha, you're so silly, daddy. She already knows about me because she's my mother and your wife! Our mommy-dearest!" Severa giggled, tightening her hold on Henry's shoulders as she nuzzled into the back of his white bed-head. It was then that Cordelia noticed that Severa really was blonde, just of the platinum sort.

"Wow, really? Man, did I hit the jackpot or what?!"

At a loss for words, Cordelia simply watched the father/daughter antics unfold, a feeling of dread settling over her like a shroud.

This was much, MUCH worse than Vaike.

...

Poor Cordelia. Henry and Severa would be the family from Hell. XD

This does not mean that I'm giving up on Robin and Henry. They will always be my OTP. However, I love Cordelia and Severa and simply wanted to try something new... Plus, a platinum blonde Severa is just too adorable for words(she's super fun to write, by the way).

:3


	2. Chapter 2

Fire with Fire

Cordelia scrambled into the saddle, hastily mentioning that she just remembered that she had somewhere to be. When Severa called after her as to where she was going exactly, she didn't look back, spurring Icarus to trot faster away from the problematic situation. She was very glad when neither Severa nor Henry followed.

She choked back a sob as she rode through the re-forming Shepherds, not quite sure of where she was going. Even though feelings of confusion, irritation, and displeasure grabbed hold of her heart, she would not allow them to manifest on her face, not while she was out in the open anyway.

As the Pegasus Knight made her way around her friends, some of which who tried to stall her for a post-battle chat, she passed by an over-exuberant Vaike as he boasted about his two kills. Considering Vaike was a frontline soldier, two kills was a fantastically low number when compared to other frontline soldiers. Even Cordelia collected more kills than that and she was constantly soaring the skies.

Oh, what she wouldn't give to marry his ridiculous ass.

The thought of marriage had her choking back another uncomfortable sob as she imagined having to walk the aisle, only to find the Shepherds resident psychotic waiting for her at the end, covered from head to foot in blood. What could she have possibly done to deserve something so perverse? She was blessed with a daughter who resented her, and would be cursed with a husband who collected body parts as a hobby.

Feeling as though she might pass out from the swirl of emotions(the heat probably had a part in it), Cordelia nearly fell from her perch when Sumia and Chrom came into view. They were conversing cheerily with Ferderick, his arm draped over her shoulders in a possessive fashion. Sumia's cheeks were colored a soft pink from the contact and giggled girlishly when he pecked her on the top of her head. Cordelia gritted her teeth when her stomach knotted itself tightly. Leave it to Sumia to get everything, even though she never really tried. But then, Cordelia never gave much effort either...

Unhappy with her current situation(a small part of her also wanted dearly to ruin the couples sweet moment), Cordelia rode up to the three of them, holding back tears of anger and anguish. The crack in her voice was unintentional but the lump in her throat made an even tone next to impossible.

"S-Sumia? Do you have a moment?"

"Cordelia! I was just about to go look for you! The latest news is that the new girl is someone's daughter! Another future child! How exciting!" Sumia blurted as she hopped under the weight of her husbands arm.

Cordelia scowled but felt just a little grateful that the revelation of the girls parents hadn't made it's rounds yet. Why that made her feel a little easier, she wasn't sure. One way or another the word would get out and she would have to face the music. Perhaps the few precious moments before the ax suddenly came crashing down on her would provide her with some much needed reflection? Sumia was always good for reflecting...

"Ah, yes... That is exciting. She's very lucky that we found her... But seriously, could I speak to you in private?"

"Yes, of course!" Sumia said, her face becoming a tad confused at her friends request for privacy.

The two girls left Chrom and Frederick to carry on in their business, making headway for a more secluded area. They had yet to set up camp but would likely do so in a matter of minutes since the day was fast drawing to a close. Without the anonymity of a vacant tent, Cordelia felt extremely exposed when they reached a spot that was well enough away from prying eyes and ears. Not far away enough though, as the Shepherds were still within sight.

Stepping down from the saddle, Cordelia positioned Icarus to stand as a buffer against them and everyone else, providing at least some privacy. Only once she was relatively pleased with their attempt at being unseen and unheard, only then did Cordelia sigh, earning a worried look from Sumia.

"Uh-oh, that doesn't sound good..."

"It's not... Gods, but I have to tell someone before everyone else knows..." She said exasperatedly.

Standing with her hands held together, Sumia appeared as innocent as ever, urging Cordelia to go on.

"That girl... She is someone's daughter. She's mine." Cordelia said quietly, placing a hand at her temple to rub away at the oncoming headache. Sumia squealed with undiluted glee.

"That's so wonderful! We both have daughters! We'll all have to get together and have a mother/daughter day! We'll go shopping, and eat at a fancy restaurant, and do some more shopping, all while talking about boys and the latest fashions! Ah, I bet Lucina, and Cynthia, and...er, what's your daughters name again?"

Cordelia merely shook her head at Sumia's lack of attention.

"Her name's Severa. Sort of fitting when you consider her severe attitude problem..."

"Oh, right. Severa. But how sweet is it that we, two best friends, both end up with daughters of our own? We have to get them together! It'll be so much fun!"

Cordelia held up a hand to stop Sumia in her girly fantasy.

"It does sound nice, but Sumia, there's a bit of a...problem..."

"And what's that?"

Unsure of how to word her feelings, Cordelia decided to just go for broke and lay everything bare since she trusted Sumia. She had been there for her ever since they were little girls and if there was one person who would understand how she was feeling, it was the clumsy queen.

Dropping her face into cupped hands, Cordelia muttered as quietly as she could while still making herself heard.

"Her father..."

Through cracked fingers, Cordelia watched as Sumia's eyes widened in remembrance that her friend was in fact husbandless, boyfriendless, and loverless.

"OHMIGOSH, that didn't even occur to me!" She cried as her hands flew to her mouth. Her theatrical reaction made Cordelia flush red.

"But Severa HAS to have a father... Did she tell you who he is? Oh, Lord, she's blonde... What if her father is Vaike?! Blegh! Cordelia, how could you?!"

"It's not Vaike!" Cordelia said loudly, drawing her hands away from her face to look sadly at Sumia. "But I'm really wishing that it was..."

Smiling sympathetically at her, Sumia reached out a hand to pat comfortingly at her shoulder.

"Oh, come now. I'm sure that whoever her father is is much better than that oaf."

"Sumia, you don't understan-"

"Ooo! Is her father Libra? He's so gentle, I bet he'd make a wonderful husband and father!"

"No, Sumia, listen-"

"Hmm, can't be Stahl. For one, he has brown hair. For two, I just can't picture you settling down with someone so average."

Fed up with beating around the bush, Cordelia grabbed hold of Sumia's shoulders and held tightly as she blurted angrily.

"IT'S HENRY! HER FATHER IS HENRY!"

Staring back with eyes as wide as saucers, Sumia stuttered incoherently, clearly at a loss for words.

"But... Er, really?..."

"Yes, really." Cordelia snapped, the emotions she felt earlier finally reaching critical mass.

As Sumia lowered her gaze, scrunching her nose and scratching her head in bewilderment, Cordelia had to fight the urge to leap back into the saddle and fly away. She had never been the type to shy away from her troubles but considering that she was expected to get together with _him_ of all people, the idea of bailing for once seemed like a rather good option. The only reason that she did not act on her urge came in the form of a very damaged young girl. Her daughter. Her sweet, precious, highly volatile Severa.

Cordelia crossed her arms and took to glaring at a patch of dead brambles instead.

After a few moments of tense contemplation, Sumia finally broke the silence, her voice small but confident.

"Heh, isn't that funny."

Cordelia turned her glare onto her friend.

"Sorry, but I fail to find any humor in the matter. Pray tell, _what's_ so funny, Sumia?" She didn't mean to sound so threatening, but she also felt that she was entitled to feel a bit upset. Her threatening tone just so happened to stem from anger.

If Sumia caught on to the Pegasus Knights underlying emotions, she didn't let them bother her.

"Well, it's kind of poetic, don't you think? A duty-bound and devoted Pegasus Knight, absolutely perfect in every way, falling for an absolutely imperfect Dark Mage? It's like those tales of unexpected love! Where the beautiful, kind, strong princess falls in love with the down-and-out, devilish rogue after they realize that they're meant for each other."

"Obviously you've been reading too many romance novels because this is nothing like that! He's INSANE! What kind of human being actively _enjoys_ slaughtering other human beings? You saw him earlier, how he had blood splattered across his face. It's like he bathes in it! And did you know that he brings back body parts from the battlefield so he can play with them? Who in their right mind does that?!"

Sumia seemed to shrink in on herself at Cordelia's outburst.

"Um, yes, I suppose he does have some... ODD personality quirks."

"Those are NOT personality quirks. They're personality defects and how exactly my future self wound up with him is beyond even Naga herself. Vaike is a rare catch compared to that lunatic."

"Cordelia," Sumia responded, looking more than a little uncomfortable. "I-I really think that you're being a bit too harsh... I'm not denying that he needs some serious help but... I bet that if you were to spend more time with him you'd like him better. He's really not as bad as you think."

"Sumia," Cordelia answered, unable to believe what she was hearing. Her friend was supposed to be on her side, not his. "He switched bodies with you! If that's not the mark of a madman then I don't know what is."

Sumia winced at the memory.

"Well, I did sort of agree to it... B-but I've gotten along well with him ever since. I don't know, I feel sorry for him..."

Cordelia shook her head, unsatisfied by what Sumia was saying.

"I don't think you understand, Sumia. I'm expected to marry him!"

"And I think it's cute! I really think that he could benefit greatly from marrying you! You're so kind and generous, loving and patient. It's so romantic!"

Clenching her jaw at Sumia's sugary-sweet words, Cordelia decided that she had heard enough on the subject. She hadn't expected the odds to be against her. Especially not from her long-time friend.

Of course, Henry would benefit from marrying her since it was highly unlikely that he would ever manage to nab a wife. However, time seemed to dictate otherwise. How he got her to say yes would remain a mystery.

Henry was well-known for being unhinged in battle, childish around camp, esoteric at best and a full-blown enigma at worst. He did seem to strike up good relations with their fellows though his disturbing reputation still kept many at bay, her being one of them. He just seemed like a disaster waiting to happen.

Pushing past Sumia to clamber back into the saddle, Sumia quickly reached for the edge of her skirt.

"Just give him a chance! You might be a match made in heaven!"

"That's easy for you to say," Cordelia growled, her displeasure peaking. "You married a prince. I get to marry a psycho."

With a flick of his tail, Icarus was off, leaving the stunned queen to stand lonely in their wake.

...

The surrounding desert made for interesting scenery and Cordelia found herself oddly at ease as she gazed out into the Plegian wilderness. Her first time visiting the country had disenchanted her to it's exotic beauty but the more time they spent scouring the desert, the more she realized just how biased she had been. The desert was wide, it was open, and in a way, it was freeing. Of course, she would never get used to the dry heat. She hated feeling consistently dirty due to the the amount of sweating that occurred. It didn't help matters that sand had the irritating ability to get everywhere.

Once the battle had ended and she was able to escape her problems for a little while, she had set about pitching her tent then immediately shed her armor. She sighed when sand had poured from her gauntlets, chest plate(how she got sand in there was more than curious), and boots. Luckily, a small oasis was near the fortress and she had been able to scrub herself clean from the elements along with her tarnished armor.

Now that the sun was setting, throwing dark shadows over the wide expanse of desert, Cordelia sat outside of her tent and allowed her mind to wander.

She felt foolish, like a child throwing a tantrum when things didn't turn out the way they wanted. But in light of the days many experiences and revelations, a tantrum was putting it mildly. For the life of her, she couldn't figure out how she and Henry would become a couple. They were so different, had practically nothing in common save for their status as Shepherds. She wasn't even sure if they ever had a complete conversation besides the few greetings they relayed in passing. She just couldn't imagine associating with someone as abnormal as him.

Every time she saw him around camp, he was followed by a flock of crows. The birds always seemed to be somewhere in his vicinity, even crowding his and Ricken's tent when night fell. It was a peculiar phenomenon and one that really set him apart. She recalled his fondness for animals. He was even known to help care for the mounts from time to time, Icarus included. But his strange connection with them didn't seem to prevent him from sacrificing them for his own dark needs. Quite frankly, it made her sick.

Then there was his fascination with blood and death. His cavalier attitude towards anything remotely macabre was just so unnatural. For her, blood was a precious life force, something that should be treated with caution, and death was an unfortunate fact of life, an event that should be treated with respect. No one wanted to die and most people didn't want to spill blood. Not Henry. He was always overheard going on about how awesome blood was, how vibrant the color was, how sticky-sweet it felt on his hands. Blood and gore just didn't bother him the way it bothered most. Blood was bad enough. But when he got to talking about death, it teetered on the verge of outright madness. He had told multiple Shepherds that he couldn't wait for the day he died, that it was going to be bloody and horrific, and that he wanted nothing more than that. Honestly, who lived their life waiting to die? For that, he had her pity.

As she considered his freakish nature, she tried to think of reasons as to why her future self would get involved with him. Perhaps Sumia was right. Perhaps they were a match made in heaven and all it took was the small act of getting to know one another. Not likely. She knew what he was like from their limited encounters and she didn't really care for him. The way he overshared in just about everything; Henry was an open book. He shared his life story and flaws with anyone who would listen or give him the time of day. Part of her felt that he only did so because he liked attention. She had to sidestep him more than once when he launched into a recount of his glory days as a child. Not once did she ever stop to hear the details.

So, true love was out of the question. What if their marriage came about through something else? Like her settling? Her infatuation with Chrom was a poor-kept secret and as much as she didn't like to admit it, who would seriously consider marrying someone who was in love with another man, knowing full well that they would never have her heart? Maybe she grew lonely and decided to marry the one person who would have her? If that was the case then she was an awful person for using someone like that, and he was a complete dimwit for falling for it.

While she liked to think that she was much kinder than that, it's possibility didn't seem so unsound...

_No_, she shook her head in disgust. _I would never resort to such desperate tactics_.

What if their marriage resulted from something more realistic? Like, say, an unplanned pregnancy? She shuddered at the thought but couldn't help where her mind was wandering off to. Neither of them were known for their indulgence in nightly escapades but if they did find themselves in a compromising situation, such as a one-night stand(Cordelia shuddered more violently at the thought of him getting under her skirt), then would it be so far-fetched to see themselves agreeing to an arrangement for the sake of their child? A loveless partnership all because they(she) could be so stupid.

She dropped her face into her hands when she really got to thinking about it. It all wouldn't be so bad if it could be with anyone but him...

"Mother?"

Cordelia snapped to attention at the sound of Severa's voice. A strange thought suddenly struck her, about how telling it was to find her daughter deep in the Plegian desert and her being half-Plegian. Telling indeed.

She turned to watch as her daughter came her way, Henry trailing behind. Her heart nearly stopped beating altogether as the prospect of confronting him drew ever closer. She wasn't ready for this.

"Hello, Severa. Did Frederick get you settled in?" She asked timidly. It should have been her job, seeing to her child's comfort, but seeing as how she had been incapacitated by her own selfish feelings, she had made no effort to stepping up to the task. As it were, she was certain Henry had been around to help anyway.

Severa flipped a white pigtail over her shoulder, her features hardening just a bit.

"Yeah, I'm stuck sharing a tent with Noire. Boy, is that going to be fun..." She pouted, her tone strongly sarcastic.

"Nyaha, well, you can share with me!" Henry chimed in with a happy smile. "I'll make Ricken sleep outside so that you can have his side all to yourself!"

"Eww! I'm not sharing a tent with you! I remember all about your gross eyeball collection! Plus, you say some really weird things in your sleep, father." Sevara scowled as she shoved him away from her. He merely laughed more.

Cordelia had to look away at the bizarrely heartwarming scene. It didn't sit well with her, seeing him take so naturally to being a father while she was still having trouble catching up. It also didn't make her feel any better, knowing that he would turn out to be a much better parent than her.

"Haha, you sure are feisty! Just like I raised you, I bet!" He said, ruffling her hair in the way that she hated.

"Gah, you're so annoying!" She cried as she flapped her hands at him in an attempt to shoo him away. "Don't you have a body to desecrate or something?"

"Nyahaha, I do! But I'm saving it's dismemberment for tomorrow when we could do it together! Now THAT sounds like fun!"

Severa puffed out her reddening cheeks at his disturbing plans for some father/daughter bonding.

"Mother! Will you PLEASE do your job and control him?! He's been following me around all evening and keeps saying weird things like that!"

"Oh! You can help too, Cordie! We'll make it a family affair!"

Cordelia grimaced, either from his use of the word 'family', or the dissection, she wasn't sure which.

"Maybe another time..." She declined politely. He may have been a shade creepy but that was no reason to not be cordial. "And please, stop calling me that. It's not cute, it's degrading."

Henry shrugged noncommittally, his smile still plastered to his face. Cordelia sighed, knowing full-well that he would continue in his humiliating nickname for her. Ever since their first meeting he called her that, and ever since the first time she heard it she disliked it. It suddenly occurred to her that she had never heard him nickname anyone else.

Sighing when he merely cast his hands out in an "Oh well" gesture, Cordelia thought that now would be a good time to apologize to Severa for her abrupt disappearing act earlier.

"Well, since you've had her all to yourself this afternoon, do you mind if Severa and I had some time to ourselves, Henry? I have some things I wish to discuss with her."

"Oh? Well, alright then." He said, his smile faltering just a fraction. He faced Severa to pat her on the head once more. "Goodnight, kiddo! I'll tell the crows to watch over you while you sleep. That should keep away any monsters!"

Severa's eye-roll was not lost on Cordelia.

"Yeah, yeah, just like you always did..." She returned a small smile. "Night, daddy."

He turned on his heel and waved a final goodnight to them both("Nighty-night Cordie!"). Cordelia pursed her lips.

"He really seems to have taken a liking to you, hasn't he?"

"Why wouldn't he? He is my father after all."

As always, Cordelia was unprepared for the snarky remark.

"Ah, yes, of course. What I mean to say is that he doesn't seemed fazed by you being his child is all."

Severa rolled her head to the side as a far-away look appeared on her face.

"He's always been like that. Always cheerful but never surprised..."

Pondering her daughters words, Cordelia watched as the Dark Mages retreating form disappeared down the lane of tents.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Severa asked, bringing Cordelia back to her senses.

"Ah, I just have a few things I'd like to get off my chest. We can talk in my tent."

She held the tent flap open so that the both of them could duck inside. Severa raised an eyebrow but obliged when Cordelia shook the fabric in her hand and gave her an authoritative look. Once inside, Severa plopped down on her mothers tidy bedroll and instantly made herself at home while Cordelia took to sitting on her trunk.

"Well? I'm all ears, mother." She said as she folded her arms behind her head and swung a leg over the other, very much like an obnoxious teenager.

Cordelia sighed yet again as she gathered her thoughts from before.

"First, I'd like to apologize for running off earlier. I was...nervous and unprepared, and I shouldn't have left like that. I hope you understand."

Severa didn't say anything, just shrugged her shoulders slightly in response. Did she understand? Or was she just being her angry, mocking self? Cordelia wasn't sure how to tell but decided that it would have to do for now.

"Second, I've done quite a bit of thinking. For as unprepared as I am by your arrival, I already think of you as my daughter and I intend to make you as happy as my future self should have done. Whatever occurred between us, whatever got in the way, happened in another life. It will not happen here..." Cordelia paused to gauge Severa's reaction to her sincerity. She still had her head propped on her folded arms and stared firmly at the canvas ceiling. However, she was no longer bobbing her foot up and down like she were bored of being there. A twinge of hope shot through Cordelia at the knowledge that she was at least listening.

"Even before we met, I've always wanted you. I can't speak for your real mother but I can tell you that she loved you. And if you're journey here has taught me anything, it's that we can change things of we really want to. And I will change things for you, Severa."

Cordelia ended her speech with a gentle smile, an enormous weight lifting from her shoulders. From the little detail Severa had told her of their future together and the nature of their relationship, she had to surmise that venturing back to the past was both exciting and excruciating for the girl. She had already admitted to missing her parents quite terribly, even going so far as to call them the absolute best. But it hadn't taken long for her frustrating ability to contradict everything to surface. In the same breath she would yell at and belittle her parents while simultaneously praising them and falling into their arms. It was confusing to say the least. Obviously, Cordelia's ego wasn't so fragile that it would crack the moment Severa threw a seemingly whole-hearted insult her way, and even if she did kind of mean it, it was only because she was hurting.

Even of Severa didn't believe in her words now, in due time she would.

"Waah, you're such a sap, mother. Like, seriously, I think I feel a toothache coming on. But..." She rolled her head to look her mother in the face with her one cracked eye. Cordelia was intrigued by the silver of her iris. "It's still nice to know that you do care. So, thanks, I guess."

Realizing that that was as good as she was going to get, Cordelia smiled some more, hoping that it relayed all the love and warmth that she felt for her child.

"Also," Severa continued, her voice reaching an octave just over the accepted level of casual conversation. "It's a huge relief to know that you're going to work things out with daddy. He was asking about you all day but I didn't know what to tell him so I just kept calling him annoying. But now that you're going to change things and forget all about that stupid prince of yours, you and daddy can work on getting closer and we could actually be a family again."

Whatever elation Cordelia had been feeling from hers and Severa's moment dissipated, leaving a churning wave in the pit of her stomach and a fractured smile on her face.

"Er, um... Y-yeah..."

The hesitation and uncertainty that wavered in her voice did not fall on deaf ears. In the blink of an eye, Severa shot up to face her, pointing an accusing finger in her direction.

"A-HA! I knew it! You're not over Chrom at all! I bet you don't even like father!"

As if to protect herself from Severa's onslaught of accusations(they were slightly on point but still accusations nonetheless), Cordelia threw her hands up.

"Wha- NO! Severa, that's not-"

"Don't LIE to me, mother! There could only be two reasons for your flakiness. One," She twisted her hand around so that her pointer finger became a one. "You're still in love with Chrom and are too blind to see that you're not getting him. Or two," Her middle finger became number two. "You don't like father at all! Why else would you disappear like that?! I was so happy to see you both again but you're ruining it! And if you really wanted me at all then you wouldn't make pointless promises to me! You always do that!"

By this point Severa had leapt to her feet, her face red and puffy from yelling, her eyes blurring with thick tears. The sight was a shock to Cordelia, and one that made her own eyes prick with tears. For all of her selfish wants and needs, she had nothing to show but a crying daughter who wanted nothing more than to finally be happy. Cordelia had never considered herself truly selfish until that precise moment.

Severa opened her mouth to spit more hurtful things but seemed to think better of it. Instead, she clamped her lips shut and settled for a scowl before turning tail to storm out. Out of pure reaction, Cordelia jumped up from her seat and caught the girl by her arm, earning herself another burning glare.

"Let me go." Severa growled dangerously. If she had been a snake, then Cordelia would have surely been bitten.

Forcing herself to stand her ground, the knight decided that maybe if was time to fight fire with fire.

"Not until you understand something, _Severa_..." Her own voice taking on a venomous quality. She tried being nice, she tried being compassionate, and she tried being sweet. Now, it was time to try being serious. "You don't have to believe me now. I don't blame you for your bleak attitude. I don't even blame you for all of your pent up rage against me. But I never make promises that I won't be able to keep." She said smoothly, angrily. Her hold on Severa's arm tightened just enough to prevent her from slipping away. "When I tell you, my daughter, that Chrom means nothing more to me, that you come first, I mean it. And as for your father, as much as I cannot fathom him, for all of our sake I will make it work. Believe me, don't believe me, but in time, you'll see..."

The smile was gone from her face, replaced by a look of resolute determination and utter seriousness. Cordelia had never been one for unwarranted fun and games so it was a look that came naturally to her, and one that could be perfectly devastating in the right situation. Such as now.

Just like that, Severa crumbled, her face softening as the tears flowed down her cheeks as she wailed.

"Oh, mother!" She cried, flinging herself into Cordelia's arms to be cradled. Cordelia obliged, holding the girl close as her sobs wracked her small body.

"I-I'm sorry, mama! I don't me-mean any of what I said! I just wanted us to be a f-f-family again..."

For the millionth time that day, Cordelia sighed. This wasn't how she had pictured their bonding time to go. But if there was one tiny thing that she could glean from this miserable encounter, it was that she meant far more to Severa than the girl would let on. She was loud, opinionated, angry, and heartbroken. Her poor Severa(and the rest of the children for that matter) had already undergone so much tragedy that now, all Cordelia could do was ensure a little bit of happiness and normalcy in her life. If Severa wanted both her and Henry, then Cordelia would have to swallow her pride and find a way to make the best of things. Even of that meant finding something to love in the Dark Mage.

While Severa's crying gradually slowed, the corner of Cordelia's mouth quirked into a small smile. If she was able to put aside her happiness for the happiness of someone else, then maybe change wouldn't be so difficult after all.

"Shh... It's alright, love. Everything will be alright..."

...

I'm finding myself more and more in love with this pairing(Severa definitely helps).

Next chapter will be much more exciting and Cordelia and Henry will finally get some one-on-one time.

:3


	3. Chapter 3

One-Oh-One

Her answer came to her in a dream.

An hour after their emotional outburst, Cordelia saw Severa to her tent then promptly returned to hers. She could feel slumber creeping in on the edges of her consciousness and after such a trying day, a good nights rest was more than welcome. She dressed down to an oversized nightshirt then languidly crawled her way under the covers of her bedroll. The events of the day must have been more taxing on her than she had originally thought because in a matter of minutes she was out like a light.

_She was flying. The beating of snow-white wings carried her through an endless blue sky and all around her wispy clouds hung lazily in the atmosphere. Far below she could just barely make out sparse villages and farms as they outlined patches of dense, green forests. It was breathtaking, a feeling she loved and craved for. The sky was her element and as she gripped the reigns of her Pegasus tighter, she urged it to fly faster, to gallop through the wide, blue yonder to anywhere that the wind would take her._

_She sighed in content. This was what she lived for, to rise above the world and live in the clouds. Because up there, all that mattered was the breeze in her long, fiery hair and the feel of freedom in her heart._

_She moved to stroke the pearly mane of her Pegasus. The fine hair caught a gale and swirled around her hand as she reveled in the feel of it's silky softness. The white of its coat shone brilliantly in the sunlight and seemed to sparkle with each motion of its graceful legs. From the corner of her eye she saw it's many beautiful feathers tickle on the wind and in that moment, she could have gone anywhere._

_She could feel her smile fading though as something shadowed her from the sunlight. Up ahead, storm clouds began to form and come together, creating a swell so massive that it dwarfed her and the rest of the world. Sections of the darkening clouds lit up with lightning strikes while the wind gathered momentum, jostling her and her mount as they drew closer._

_She tugged forcefully on the reigns, commanding the Pegasus to curve away from the storm and back to the ground. The animal did no such thing. It merely jerked it's head back from her hands and continued on towards the tempest. Her commands became more demanding as she began to panic. The winds grew more violent, making it difficult for her to remain seated in the saddle. Still, the Pegasus carried her onward._

_She leaned forward, clamping her knees against the animals flank and gripping the reigns and it's mane as tightly as she could as they entered the storm. Rain poured down in sheets around her, soaking them both and chilling her to the bone. Lightning crashed on all sides and the sound of thunder was so deafening that the howl of wind was practically nonexistent. It was truly terrifying, the way the dark clouds swallowed her whole. The chaos within that drove the hurricane roared with a power that made her want to shut her eyes tight and whisper that it all was just a bad dream; it was angry, it was uncontrollable, and it was all around her._

_She held on even tighter when the clouds began to circle in one direction instead of many, creating a vortex that seemed to stretch for eternity in front of her. The dizzying speed with which the storm encapsulated her caused her stomach to turn with nausea and before she could allow the illusion of vertigo to throw her from her mount, she closed her eyes and prayed for it all to end._

_She repeated her prayer, feeling her heart pounding with anxiety and terror as the pegasus sped on through the swirling tunnel. Then, after what felt like hours, the rain seemed to slow in its assault, the wind wasn't as strong, the lightning flashes ceased altogether, and the clap of thunder became a distant growl. She opened her eyes and saw the tunnel opening up to reveal beautiful blue sky once again._

_She turned in the saddle to watch as the storm released her, gliding along on its terrible winds to somewhere else. Shivering at the harrowing experience, she suddenly realized that her tremor was from fear and not rain. Her skin and clothes were dry as if she had not just gone through a storm. But what really caught her attention was the pegasus. It was black. It's mane was no longer the pearly white, it's coat now sparkled with a hint of blue, and it's wings flapped with raven feathers. Somehow, the storm had taken her white pegasus and transformed it's color to midnight black. A gasp escaped her when a second thing caught her eye; that it's reigns were gone and she had only it's mane to hold onto._

_She nearly cried out when the privilege of control was no longer hers. To test it, she tilted her body slightly to one side while tugging at its mane in the same direction, a plea to heed her command and take her back to the safety of earth. She nearly sobbed with relief when the animal did just that_.

Cordelia awoke the next morning with renewed vitality and vigor, the previous days challenges a mere memory. She chalked a lot of it up to her peculiar dream. It wasn't the first dream she had that involved flying and pegasi, but she couldn't recall ever having one that involved a storm and a black pegasus. What it meant, she couldn't tell but she did know that black pegasi were strictly used by aerial mages. She didn't know why they were used, just that they were chosen over the more lucky white pegasi. Whatever her dream meant, she knew what she had to do.

...

She had to keep telling herself that it wasn't for her but for Severa as she entered the mess tent for breakfast. As she took her spot in the breakfast line, she scanned the sea of heads as everyone gathered for their morning meal, searching for the identifying mess of white hair. She saw him already sitting at a bench with Severa, his mouth moving a mile a minute as he told her something obviously entertaining, fore Severa had a silly, sleepy grin on her face.

Cordelia had to gulp at what she was about to do and once she had a bowl of oatmeal in her hands, she wove her way through hungry Shepherds to the center table that her impromptu family occupied one end of.

"Good morning, Severa... Henry." She greeted politely, hoping that neither recognized the hesitance that came with his name.

Henry was the first to respond.

"Oh, hey, good morning! We were just wondering when you were going to show up!"

"M-m-mooorning, mother..." Severa yawned as she stretched her arms straight into the air. Cordelia had to resist the urge to embrace her in the tightest bear hug she could muster. Severa wouldn't have returned the sentiment anyway.

"Do you mind if I join you?" She asked, taking a seat next to Severa when Henry enthusiastically said 'yes'.

Placing her bowl on the table and dipping her spoon into the sloppy meal, she noticed that neither Henry nor Severa had even touched their breakfasts. She opened her mouth to chastise them both for being wasteful when Henry suddenly spoke up.

"So, Severa, did Noire keep you up at all with her weird split personality disorder?"

"That's not a very nice thing to say! And about a child no less!" Cordelia gasped but neither had heard her.

"Pfft, every couple of hours she would wake up and yell "To the abyss with you!" or "Blood and thunder!". Gawds, she's so annoying! She kept at it until I threatened to shove my sword down her throat if she didn't knock it off. She stopped after that." Severa said as she stirred her spoon lazily around her porridge.

"Nyahaha, that's my princess!" He praised with a cheer.

Cordelia groaned at just how attached he had become to their daughter. It hadn't even been a full twenty-four hours since Severa had revealed herself to them and he was already endearing her to him. The smile that spread on Severa's face from his pet name for her was enough to solidify Cordelia's resolve to at least try to get close to him.

"Be nice to her, Severa. She's your tentmate and your friend. Besides, I'm sure she's gets plenty of abuse already."

Severa's face lit up evilly.

"Ooo, look at you gossiping! I knew that you weren't always a lame stick-in-the-mud. Tell me more!"

"I am not gossiping! I'm just telling you to be nice to her!" Cordelia stated firmly. "And don't you dare mention that to anyone."

Severe simply rolled her eyes as she went back to stirring her oatmeal. This wasn't going to work. Not with Severa around to distract her, or most likely, him.

"You know," Cordelia began, "if you're not going to eat your breakfast, then I think it's time that you headed out with the rest of the children. You have a training session today with Frederick and I can tell you from first hand experience that he does not tolerate tardiness. So, you had better hop to it."

Severa scowled.

"When did I agree to a training session?! And that's impossible for you to know because you're never late to anything."

"You agreed the moment you joined the Shepherds. And I was late once but never again. You'll see why if you're late as well. Now, get a move on."

"You might wanna do what she says." Henry chimed in, much to Cordelia's surprise. "I'm late to his sessions all the time. He makes you run laps and if you're too slow, then he chases you with a lance. It's probably the scariest thing ever!"

"But it's soo hooot! You're really going to make you're only daughter train in these conditions?! What kind of parents are you?!" Severa complained, banging her forehead against the tabletop.

"We're yours, dear." Cordelia smiled in mock kindness. For some reason, Severa made her want to be just a little bit cruel, if only for a good laugh. "Also, I need to speak with your father."

Severa raised an eyebrow, as if to say "What are you planning?". When her mother gave her no further details, she groaned as she forced herself up from her seat.

"FINE then. But you both owe me, you hear? Gawds, you're both so infuriating..." She said, turning on her heel to head for the exit of the mess tent.

"Of course, dear." Cordelia replied nonchalantly.

"Good bye, princess! Have a good day!" Henry hollered after her, causing her to halt in her strut from embarrassment. She threw him a dirty look before leaving altogether.

"Haha, aww, isn't she just the cutest?" Henry said as he watched her leave.

"Adorable. I wonder where she gets it all from."

"Ha, well, she clearly gets it all from-"

"That was rhetorical, Henry. And our talk isn't going to be all about her."

"Oh? What did you want to talk about then?"

Cordelia sighed(she really needed to work on that).

"Us."

The smile on his face didn't change but his posture did. He sat up straight and moved his bowl of oatmeal out of the way. A full bowl, Cordelia noted.

"Okay! What about us?" He asked loudly and a bit too enthusiastically.

Cordelia felt the bench shift slightly under her and when she looked on down towards the other end, she noticed that Lissa and Maribelle were sitting a little closer than when she first sat down.

"Let's...talk somewhere else..." She said slowly. The Chatty Cathy duo were trying their hardest to appear oblivious but if there was one thing that they completely lacked the concept of, it was discretion. If they knew something that was meant to stay secret, then chances were that the rest of the Shepherds would know by noon. Not that Cordelia had anything to hide now that Severa and her parentage had been revealed the night before. Even so, she still wished for her business with Henry to remain between the two of them.

"Yeah, sure. Where do you wanna go?" Henry asked, unaware of the girls attempt at eavesdropping.

"Outside, where it's not so nosey, er...noisy."

Following her lead, Henry stood from the bench and trailed behind her when she made for the exit. Cordelia kept her gaze front and center to avoid making eye contact with anyone. She couldn't hear them whispering to one another but the huddling they did when they passed by told her everything she needed to know; that she wasn't the only one blindsided by the unusual turn of events.

Upon exiting the crowded mess tent, Cordelia lead them a few tents down to stand in the alley between two vacant tents.

"Man, everyone sure is acting weird today. Did you notice all the funny looks they were giving us?"

"It's because we're not married. All of the other parents were already wed when their children showed up." She didn't feel the need to mention that they were also considered quite the odd couple.

"Mm, yeah, I guess that kinda makes sense. They won't have long to look at us funny though. Pretty soon, us being a family will be the most normal thing in the world!"

Hearing him referring to the three of them as a family settled strangely in her ear. She still wasn't ready to accept him as her future anything but she did promise Severa that she would figure things out.

"Yeah, about that..."

He didn't do anything other than stand in front of her with that silly grin he was known for. If she hadn't been staring him in the face, she would have missed the twitch at the corner of his mouth.

"The only reason I'm even entertaining the idea of us is because of Severa. She has her heart set on us being her parents and acting like the family that she lost. I can already tell that you're committed to your role and I intend to be just as involved with mine. However," she paused for a moment to see how he was taking her words. No change in expression. Whether or not that was a good or bad thing, she couldn't tell. "Us having a daughter together does not mean that anything between us is going to happen, not anytime soon at least... Do you understand?"

"Haha, um, not really... If we're Severa's parents, and will eventually get married, then why wait? It's going to happen anyways. What difference does it make if we're together now or later?"

Cordelia grimaced. She hadn't expected him to counter her argument with straightforward logic. Of course, he had a point. One day, the time would come for the Severa of their world to be born, which would mean a night with him. Having to climb into bed with someone she hardly felt anything for was agonizing enough. If they stuck to her plan, then by the time that night occurred, she should be comfortable enough around him for it to not be such a huge deal. But if time really made no difference to the situation like it should've, then there really was no point in postponing a relationship. Other than the fact that she just wasn't ready to marry him yet.

"Let me put it this way then. We," she signaled between herself and him. "Don't know anything about each other. I'm sorry if this isn't what you want to hear but I'd rather be in love with the person that I'm going to marry instead of marrying them simply because time says I should."

"You mean like in the way that you love Chrom?"

Cordelia felt as if she had been slapped in the face. The shock from his offhand comment left her expression wounded and surprised.

"Sorry, am I wrong?" He asked innocently enough. Like everyone else, he knew of her infatuation. Unlike everyone else, he expected her to shove those feeling onto him. Either that, or he just didn't care about her feelings at all and was only in on the scheme for their daughters sake, much like she was.

"I'll thank you very much for never mentioning that again." She replied coldly. If she was ever going to enter into a relationship of sorts with him, then she needed to believe that she was doing the right thing.

"Oops, did I make you mad? I'm sorry if I did."

His childlike apology was enough to soften her glare.

"It's fine, I'm not mad. But if we want this to work, then no more talk of Chrom. From now on, it's us," she signaled between the two of them once again. "And Severa as we try to move forward. Understood?"

He swung a hand up to his temple in a dramatic salute.

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Good." She sighed, not feeling quite as relieved as she had hoped she would. Even though he agreed to her terms, she could still see that he didn't fully understand her reasoning behind it. If he didn't understand that she had implemented boundaries between them, then what was there to stop him from overstepping those boundaries and making the whole thing that much more difficult? She simply had to trust that he would do as he was told.

"I do have one question, though. When you say that nothing is going to happen between us, what do you mean? Are we not going to get married?" Even as he asked the rather disheartening question, the smile still lingered on his face.

Cordelia had been afraid of this question. She couldn't very well reject him, not when it was very clear that their unborn(and already born) daughters life depended on them getting together. But things were moving way too fast for her and thanks to all of the catching up she was trying to do, the pace was leaving her winded. In one day she met her future daughter and found out who her husband was going to be. For someone who hadn't even been considering settling down just yet, it was a lot to absorb. Just how was she supposed to explain things to him when he couldn't even understand why he needed to be patient? She decided to give it a shot anyways.

"That's not what I'm saying at all. What I'm trying to say is that you need to give me time to adjust. I'm afraid I'm not handling this whole situation very well, to be honest... It's all quite stressful, actually." She answered, rubbing circles into her temples at the thought of the fine mess she found herself in.

"You're stressed? Hey, I have a hex for that! Just a small incantation, a few fancy hand movements, and it's bye-bye stress! You'll feel better, I promise. Relaxed and happy for the next hour or two, at least."

"That's...kind of you to offer, but no thanks. It's unnecessary, I'll be fine."

"Mm, well, if you change you're mind all you have to do is ask! I'd be happy to help you out."

"I'll keep that in mind." She said with a soft smile. Maybe he wasn't as bad as she thought.

"So, back to what you were saying. Once you're no longer worried about everything and we've had time to get to know each other better, then you'll love and marry me?" He pondered, tapping a finger to his chin as he sorted through her perfectly sound logic. At least, she thought it was sound.

"Um, let's just focus on the here and now. Just give me some time and hopefully things will progress in a more ideal direction."

"Seems like an awful lot of waiting for something that we already know will happen... But alright! If that's what you want then I can wait."

"Perfect. Now then, I have a request."

"A request? Do you need someone dead? Just point 'em out and I'll have 'em pushin' up daisies in under a minute, nyaha."

"What?! Jeez, what kind of a depraved nut job do you take me for?!"

"Soo, that's a 'no' to any murders for hire? You don't even have to pay me. For you, I'll do it for free!"

"You're not killing anyone! I was going to ask that you teach me magic!"

If he hadn't been paying attention before, he sure was now.

"Whooa, really?! Nyaha, I wasn't expecting that at all!"

Glancing nervously to the side, Cordelia could feel herself growing restless from their idle chitchat.

"Can you please just tell me 'yes' or 'no'?" She said a little too impatiently. He instantly ceased in his chuckling to grin cheerily at her.

"Yeah, I'll teach you. It'll be fun! But, so you know, I've never taught anyone before. Don't blame me if you turn out looking like a troll, or maybe even a little dead, ahaha."

Cordelia frowned, taken aback by his slightly threatening honesty.

"That won't happen, will it?"

"It's a definite possibility!" He laughed, causing her to squirm from hearing the risks. He noticed and tried to backtrack. "Hey, don't worry about it! As long as you do as I say then you'll be fine!"

"Yeah..." She nodded, not feeling so sure about her decision anymore.

"When do you wanna start?"

She brought her attention back to him.

"Immediately. I see no reason why these lessons should be put off. "

"Great! Let's go pick up some tomes and then we can get started."

He turned to lead her back out into the open lane, taking a left when they should have been taking a right. Without stopping to comprehend her action, she reached out to grab him by the upper arm to stop him from going anywhere. She instantly drew back and tried to keep her cheeks from growing too hot when he swiveled his head around to look at her with that same, silly grin. He appeared so scrawny, she hadn't expected lean muscle to be hidden under that cloak...

"The armory tent is that way." She tried not to sound too shy.

"Oh, they won't lend me any tomes for practice. Miriel is under strict orders from Frederick to ration my supply, says I go through them too fast, nyaha."

"Oh, I had no idea that tomes were so fragile... If that's the case, then where are we going to get any?"

The foxy smile he gave her made her blush a shade darker, as if she weren't embarrassed enough already.

"Don't tell Frederick, but Ricken and I have a stockpile building back in our tent since we're only allowed two tomes max when we're not in battle."

"You're breaking rules?" She asked incredulously.

"Haha, only because it's a stupid rule! Most of the people here can't even read them! They'd just be sitting in the convoys storage collecting dust otherwise."

She loosened the scowl on her face.

"I suppose it is a victimless crime..."

"And definitely not the worst thing I've ever done, nyaha. Now come on. The sooner we get them, the sooner you'll be slinging spells like a pro."

Turning around once more, he lead her through camp to the edge farthest from hers, coming upon his quarters in a matter of minutes.

His tent was larger than hers since it was meant to accommodate more than one person. She also noticed that the canvas was patched in places as she recalled an incident one night that involved him and Ricken accidentally setting it on fire. Perhaps Frederick's two-book rule wasn't so stupid after all...

As she looked over his accommodations, he threw open the flap and ducked inside out of sight. She shuffled on the spot, feeling a bit awkward standing outside of the Dark Mages tent. It didn't help her nerves when Sully and Panne strode by, giving her suspicious smiles, to which she merely smiled shyly back. Hopefully, he was right and all the bedlam over their unique circumstance would fade soon.

"Cordie? You can come inside."

She circled away from Sully and Panne, who took to smirking when he popped his head out to invite her in.

"Ricken's no longer dancing around in his smallclothes so it's safe to come in, nyaha."

"Why do you always have to say that?!" A younger boys voice screeched from within.

Henry held the flap open so she could duck under his arm. She scrunched her nose at the chaos she happened upon.

Cordelia had always been the type to keep her living space neat and orderly. Clothes went folded into drawers or trunks, not in a crumpled heap on the floor. Beds should be made properly when you were not in them. Belongings needed to be stored accordingly to prevent clutter and hoarding. Because cleanliness was next to godliness and pig-styes were meant for pigs, not humans.

If this was how he lived, then they would definitely not work out.

"Hi, Cordelia! I didn't know you were coming over." greeted Ricken from his place on his messy bedroll. A book was propped against his legs as he lounged back against a crate that served as a nightstand.

She waved as she explained that it was only for a moment or two.

"Cordie wants to learn magic and I'm the one who's going to teach her." mentioned Henry. He was squatting in a corner on his side of the tent with his back to them as he spoke, sifting through a rather large pile of books of various sizes and thickness. "Damn, I thought I had some basic tomes here..."

"No, those were the ones you gave back when we heard about Frederick's raid, remember?" offered Ricken as Henry began to toss tomes haphazardly onto his equally messy bedroll in search of something usable.

A purple book with gold appliqué designs landed at her feet and she curiously picked it up to get a better look. This was actually the first time she had ever held a tome in her hands.

Henry sat back on his heels as he thought for a moment.

"Oh, yeah! I forgot all about that!"

"What do you mean 'Frederick's raid'?" Cordelia asked as she thumbed through the brittle pages.

"He was suspecting that we weren't returning tomes to the armory after battles, so he was going to search our tent without warning one day."

"Luckily, Tharja tipped us off when she overheard him telling Robin about it. She's also stockpiling, but that's just between us, hehe. Anyways, I had to give him something to get him off the trail, so I handed over all of the basic tomes. Pfft, as if I would give back any of the good ones, nyaha."

"How clever of you..." She said, not entirely aware of what they were telling her. The writing and diagrams in the book were beautiful and bewitching, even if she couldn't make out what they were trying to tell her. In a strange way, it was almost as if the book *was* trying to communicate with her, an eerie static filling her ears and ensnaring her mind.

Suddenly, the book was snatched from her hands, bringing her back to her senses.

"Sorry, but you don't want that one. Way too powerful for a beginner." Henry said as he tossed the book over his shoulder to land in a pitiful heap on his bedroll.

"Right... So, if we're unable to get any basics then how am I to learn?"

Henry thought for a moment, turning his gaze upon Ricken who merely shrugged before going back to his reading.

"Ooh, no you don't!" He cried triumphantly, striding over to Ricken to rip the green tome from his hands. "Ah, perfect! Hey, thanks, Ricken! This will do wonderfully!"

"I was reading that!" The young mage yelled after Henry as he pushed Cordelia unceremoniously out of their tent.

Once outside, he relinquished the purloined tome to her with a grin.

"Here ya go! One tailor-made tome for Miss Cordelia!"

"Er, thank you... Which one is this?"

"It's Wind. Should be easy for you to master since the sky is like your second home, aha. Wanna go?"

She nodded vigorously in response then took after him as they left camp to move out into the dunes that bordered the fortress. As she followed him, she held the book in the palm of her hand, testing the weight of it, surprised that it felt much heavier than it looked. Flipping it open, she was relieved to find that the writing in this particular tome was in a language that she could understand.

While eyeing the pages with intense curiosity, she nearly collapsed when the sand gave out under her feet and almost sent her rolling down the dune if Henry hadn't been in front of her to prevent it.

"Whoa, you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine, just wasn't watching my footing..." She replied sheepishly as she used a free hand to push herself away from his back.

"Well, at any rate, I think we've gone far enough. The deserts a really bad place to get lost in, haha."

From somewhere in the dunes they could hear Frederick shouting commands to his troupe. The miserable groans of his charges were also loud enough to hear, much to their amusement. Somewhere out there, Severa was definitely sweating up an attitude. The thought of her clashing with Frederick in the heat of training brought a devilish grin to Cordelia's face. Oh, the torture her baby was surely going through...

"I agree, we shouldn't venture too far. I really don't want to run into Severa when Frederick has her in his clutches. I can only imagine the hissy fit she's going to throw later tonight."

"Ahaha, she is out there, huh? Poor girl, I wonder if I should swing on over and rescue her? But, ugh, I really don't want to get caught by him..." Henry chuckled as he gazed off in the direction of their daughters torment.

"It's just as well, we have business here." She said, holding the tome up to remind him of their lesson.

"Hehe, right. Class is in session and while we're out here, do you think you could call me 'Professor'? I've always wanted that title, haha."

Cordelia gave him a blank look.

"Is that really necessary?"

"Yep! I'm the teacher and you're my student. Just the way things go. Now then," he clapped his hands to signify the start of her first coaching in the art of magic. "Henry's Magic Basics for the Uneducated; Lesson One, Mastering your own Magical Prowess. Bullet One, you need to loosen up. If you're insecure then controlling your abilities will be next to impossible."

"Okay, how do I loosen up? Do you mean physically?"

"You have to be confident. If you have even a shred of doubt in you, then your magic will go haywire when you cast it. It also wouldn't hurt to loosen up your body. The more limber you are, the better the magic will flow."

"I see." Cordelia said, handing him her tome so that she could stretch out her arms. "It's not unlike any other form of training. If you're insecure in your abilities, then you will be sub par in your performance. And energy does flow better after a short exercise."

"Yep. Spell casting is mostly common sense stuff in the beginning. Once you learn that, then it gets fun."

After she rolled her shoulders, twisted her torso, and doubled over to stretch out her back and legs, he handed her the book back with an eager smile.

"Alright, I'm feeling limber and am up to the challenge. What's next?"

"Great! Now, you need to memorize incantations. Open the tome to one of the first few pages. Those spells are easiest."

She did just that, flipping to a page filled with phrases and bizarre symbols.

"I can read the wording but what do these drawings mean? Am I supposed to do anything with them?"

"Those are just archaic symbols with different meanings. They're just another way of casting the spell. For now, just worry about memorizing this line right here." He tapped his finger to a short passage, indicating the line he wanted her to use.

"Very well. I have one more question though. Is there a benefit to memorizing the passages? Couldn't I just read them?"

"Ahaha, yeah, there's a benefit! You try reading a book in battle when some guy is coming at you with a sword! It's not so easy. So, nearly all mages study their tomes and recall it's magic from memory. That's why we have to practice like other soldiers. You can say it out loud or think it, doesn't matter. Ask long as you know the incantation, then reading it makes no difference. Memorization is just better for battle."

"Makes perfect sense." She replied, setting about to memorize the spell. Henry remained quiet as she read the passage over and over again, her lips moving soundlessly as she committed the words to memory. Cordelia had always been rather studious and did quite well as a child in school, always earning top marks and even graduating as valedictorian of her class. Most of her friends thought it weird that she actually enjoyed studying, immersing herself into her lessons with a dedication that alienated many. She couldn't help it though; if she was going to be learning something new, then why not learn it right and learn it perfectly? There was no sense in trying something if it was only going to be half-assed(Sully's words, not hers).

Closing the book, she repeated the passage to herself several times until she was certain that it now lived in her mind.

"I have it memorized, now what do I do?"

"Nice! That was quick! Now, what I want you to do..." With a flourish of his cloak, he moved to stand behind her, not too close but close enough should things wrong. "Is repeat the spell to yourself. Like I said, you can say it out loud or think it, doesn't matter. Keep repeating it even if you can feel the magic manifesting. It's something you have to follow through with to the very end. Hold out your weaker hand, too. Magic is funny in that it prefers your submissive side. But hold your hand steady and aim for that dune over there. There's no wind today so it'll be easy to tell if you did anything. And be confident! Trick yourself into thinking you'll succeed! Always works for me, nyaha!"

With a slight nod of her head, Cordelia swallowed the nervous lump in her throat and forced herself to keep calm and collected. The words replayed in her minds eye in an infinite loop as she concentrated all of her willpower into creating a gust of wind strong enough to dishevel the sand of the chosen dune. She clenched her jaw as she focused even harder to get her body to do something with the magic of the incantation. After a few minutes of tense waiting, nothing happened and she dropped her hand, heaving a defeated and frustrated sigh.

"Nothing's happening. I can't even feel anything..."

"Hmm, can I see the tome?" He asked, taking the book from her when she offered it and flipping through the pages in curiosity.

"Is it defective?" She queried hopefully. If it was the books fault for her inability to cast magic, then she didn't feel quite so foolish for failing.

"Shouldn't be, most of the pages are still intact..." He answered matter-of-factly. Just to test his theory, he waved his hand in a wide arc in the direction of the dune, sending a vortex of violent wind it's way, spraying a wall of sand high into the air. "Nope! The magic is still good!"

"Then I'm defective..." She muttered sadly.

"Huh? You're not defective! It was only your first try! Don't tell me that you're giving up already!"

Cordelia merely looked away from him. She had never taken well to failure, even if failure eventually lead to success. Failure was one of the reasons why she had put off learning magic for so long, fearing that it wouldn't come naturally to her like the lance did. Failure was just too embarrassing...

Seemingly sensing her distress, Henry lit up with another smile and held his hand out to her.

"Here, give me your hand."

The knight quirked an eyebrow.

"Why?..."

"Oh, come on. If you don't give it to me, then I'll just take it myself." He sang cheerily.

Eyeing him suspiciously, Cordelia slowly lifted her hand and allowed him to take hold of it. She immediately looked away when his skin felt soft and warm against hers, not clammy and rough like she had imagined it would. The blush crept back into her cheeks when he shifted their hands upward to lace his fingers with hers, folding them over her knuckles gently.

She kept her eyes trained on the sloping horizon of the desert while he gripped her hand in his. He hummed to himself as he held on for longer than she thought appropriate. Whatever he thought he was doing was making her antsy, trying to not think too much of the contact, but also surprised that it didn't bother her like it should have. After a few minutes of hand-holding, she felt her palm grow warmer and warmer until it became almost as sweltering as the heat that beat down on them from the mid-morning sun. As she turned her head to look curiously at him, a magnetized shock in her hand had her ripping it from his grip.

"What was THAT all about?! What did you do?!" She cried, taking back what she thought of the contact between them.

"Hahaha, I was gauging your level of magical ability. You have TONS of magic in you just waiting to be unleashed! So, you're absolutely NOT defective and there's no reason why you shouldn't be able to learn quickly. As long as we keep at this for a bit longer, and what with all of your potential, you'll be summoning tornados even better than Ricken!"

Cordelia blinked, astounded by his assessment of her.

"R-really? You think so?"

"Hell yeah! Everyone has some degree of magic in them, some more so than others. But you, you're practically leaking magic! I don't know why you never tried to learn before. You'd make one badass sorceress, nyaha!"

Cordelia chuckled, her blush growing a little bit pinker.

"Hehe, thanks, I guess. I've always wanted to learn magic. The mages always told me that it was something I could learn, but it always seemed so daunting. And I was afraid that I just wouldn't be good at it."

"Well, there's your problem!" Henry laughed, poking a finger at her. "You're too afraid of failure. You have to let those feelings go and enjoy yourself. Besides, as good as you are with a lance, you've plateaued; you're not gonna get any better so, it's time to learn something new!"

She never imagined receiving an uplifting pep talk from a Dark Mage. But everything he spoke rang true and Cordelia found it in her to dust herself off and try again and again, until she had a new weapon in her arsenal and another skill down.

"You're absolutely right, Henry. I think you've given me the confidence to try again."

"Nyaha, that's PROFESSOR Henry, remember? I guess I am pretty good at doing that, though. Now, this time, aim for the dune over there. Hold out you're weak hand, picture the incantation clearly in your mind, feel confident, and let the power flow through you. Just put all of your focus into that one thought."

Cordelia did as he said but when nothing happened yet again, she didn't let it discourage her. She continued going through the motions, concentrating with all her might to unleash even the smallest gust of wind. Eventually, Henry became a bit more proactive in his training of her: drawing closer behind her to peer over her shoulder, positioning his arm next to hers as a visual of what she should be doing, offering tips and encouragement when she sighed in frustration, and laughing like a hyena when she jumped with joy when a gale tore apart the dune, dashing her glee when he said that that was all him.

She glared and smacked him in the shoulder for getting her hopes up like that("Sorry! I'm sorry! I just couldn't help myself, nyahaha!").

Having been at it for close to two hours now, Cordelia began to think that maybe he was wrong about her and she really was rubbish when it came to magic. She might be filled to the brim with the stuff but what good did it do her if she couldn't even materialize it? She shook her head angrily as she decided to give it one more go. Before re-focusing herself, she thought to ask him one more question, though.

"Henry? Can you tell me something?"

He was quiet.

"Henry? Did you hear me?" She asked again, turning around to look at him.

Henry had taken to sitting down by this point, lounging in the slope of the dune they gathered on. His head rested on his folded arms while he watched her lazily, a leg bouncing off the other knee. Severa definitely took after him when it came to work ethic. He smiled at her but still kept quiet.

She rolled her eyes in the most Severa-like way.

"PROFESSOR Henry, can you answer me something?"

"Sure! What do you wanna know, my oh-so avid student?"

She rolled her eyes again.

"Before, when you had my hand. What was that all about? It felt like my hand was hot and sticking to yours. It was weird, to say the least..."

"Oh, that? That was just our biologies reacting to each other. Us beings of magical substance experience those kind of connections a lot. Some magnetic, some repulsive. Actually, only one other person has connected with me like just now and that's Tharja. But that's only because we despise each other, er, but in a totally friendly way!"

"Really?... That's interesting..."

"It sure is! And our connection was strong! Stronger than Tharja's even. We actually might get a long really well together, ahaha!"

Cordelia merely nodded, slightly confused by this new gem of information. So, they had a connection? And apparently a strong one. Wonderful, this was exactly what she needed right now...

Staring down a large sand dune in the distance, Cordelia re-positioned herself, giving her feet just enough space apart and relaxing her shoulders, remembering Henry's advice about being limber. She held her left hand out in front, a slight bend in her elbow, and her wrist and fingers loose, just like he had said. As she focused all of her attention on the dune, a chill sensation began to prickle over her skin, resonating deep into her muscles, then bounding back to the surface, surprising her that something was actually happening. Keeping his words in the back of her mind, she didn't let it faze her when faint circles of golden runes formulated spectral around her hand, around her arm, around her body; she just continuously repeated the incantation to herself, following through with the spell to the very end. Her heart was racing as she felt the power build up within her body, adding more and more momentum to the wind spell until she thought that she might burst from overload. When she felt that she had reached her limit, she pitched her arm forward like she had seen the mages do, unleashing a gale so strong that the dune exploded in a wave of sand.

"Holy Hell!" Henry cried, leaping to his feet to run the few feet down their dune to where she was standing in awe.

She did it. She actually did it! The wind tome hung in her limp arm as she tried to contain the excitement she felt at finally succeeding in casting magic.

Henry moved in front of her, shading his eyesight with his hand to view the damage better. The dune appeared much smaller now thanks to her devastating desire to change it's landscape. He gave a low whistle.

"Remind me to never piss you off." He said when he turned to look back at her. "That was AWESOME! See, I told you you're not defective!"

Cordelia squealed with glee and practically leapt on him, crushing him to her with a hug so tight that he choked under her grip.

"Ah, sorry!" She apologized as she released him, snapping her arms to her side when she realized what she had just done. Her cheeks were definitely on fire now. "I'm afraid I got a little carried away."

"Nyaha, it's alright. But now that we've jumped this hurdle we can-"

He was cut off by the moans and hollers of people from the location that she had just decimated. They looked at each other questioningly when they realized the gravity of what she had just done.

Cordelia took off, running as fast as the sand would allow her to, slipping from the loose grains and trying her damnedest to keep her balance. Henry wasn't far behind, panting loudly from the sudden exertion and blazing heat. Upon reaching the dunes summit, Cordelia gasped when she saw the troupe of children buried in different levels of sand. Some up to their necks, others to their chests. Limbs stuck out at odd angles like grotesque flora and sand pulsed in certain spots where others were buried completely.

"Uh-oh," Henry chuckled when he finally stood next to her. "Looks like their up to their necks in trouble..."

"Oh, Gods." Cordelia moaned, rushing forward to help pull the children out of the collapsed dune.

Henry did the same and soon the children were scrambling out of the sand with their help. Owain and Inigo were spouting off praise and thanks to Naga for ending Frederick's Fanatical Fitness Hour in the most epic way possible(Cordelia was too humiliated to tell them that it was her doing). After she helped trembling Noire to gain her balance, she moved to help Henry dig out Severa who had been buried completely.

"Are you alright, sweetie?!" She asked, offering her a hand when Henry took her other. They both pulled her to her feet and Cordelia felt even more embarrassed when she saw just how filthy Severa looked. Sand and dirt caked her sweat covered face and colored her hair a dusty grey.

"What do you think?" She growled. "I'm hot, and tired, and dirty. Not to mention I had a sand dune dumped on me just now." Her scowl was so fierce that both her parents recoiled.

"Oh, Severa! I'm so sorry! I didn't know that you all were back here!" Cordelia wailed, the excitement she felt moments ago from her resounding success flat out abandoning her.

Severa stopped in her dusting off to look strangely at her.

"You mean YOU did this?"

Henry scratched the back of his head awkwardly as a nervous smile played on his face.

"...Yes..." Cordelia squeaked.

Severa balked.

"How did YOU destroy a sand dune?!"

Cordelia exchanged a nervous glance with Henry.

"Well... You see... Your father is teaching me...magic..."

"Whaat?! You don't know magic! At least, not the mother I knew!" Severa shrieked.

Cordelia drew back a little farther, ashamed of herself for burying her daughter alive. Henry stepped forward to pat Severa on the head, willing her to calm down.

"I know..." Cordelia moaned, holding her face right in her hands. "But remember when I told you that I would change things? Well, this is me...changing things..."

Severa volleyed her intense gaze from her mother, to her father, and back to her mother.

"So, you two have been out here this whole time playing with magic?"

"Not just any magic, Princess. _Wind magic_!" Henry said, wiggling his fingers in her face for dramatic effect. She shoved them aside with her own hand.

Cordelia offered a timid smile when Severa raised an eyebrow at her.

"OOOOOH, I see what's going on! Wind magic, my foot!" Severa replied snidely, an evil grin spreading across her face. Cordelia didn't like the look one bit.

"Severa..." She said slowly, threatening her to keep from going into further detail. "We were just practicing magic. That is all."

"Uh-huh. And I was just out here braiding Frederick's hair. The dunes are such a lovely place for gallivanting, don't you agree?"

"SEVERA!"

"Oops! Looks like I hit a nerve! Best be off! Love you guys!" She hollered over her shoulder as she chased after the other children when they decided to make their bid for freedom.

Cordelia watched her daughter race away with a mixture of annoyance and love.

"Speaking of Frederick..." Henry mentioned, turning all around himself to search the sand for any signs of the missing lieutenant.

"Eep! We forgot about Frederick!" Cordelia cried. The couple instantly set about digging holes in the flattened dune in search of him.

...

This chapter was fun as hell to write.

I had intended for this story to only be about three chapters or so but considering the amount of time and detail I'm putting into it(I'm also in love with this pairing now), it's going to be much longer than that. Also, keep in mind the stories rating(M, FYI). I have big, BIG plans for the coming chapters.

Stay tuned!

:3


	4. Chapter 4

Black

Two full weeks flew by from her first magic mishap and she was quite grateful to put that embarrassment behind her.

The both of them had received punishments for that little stunt; Cordelia had been given dish duty and Henry had been assigned to the latrines(he had groaned, complaining that he was always given the latrines). However, her consequences could have been much worse, so she accepted her fate with obedient grace.

Now that her days of cleaning up after hungry Shepherds was over, she could get back to her normal routines, troublemaking not being a part of them.

It was mid-morning once again and Cordelia found herself in the open tent that substituted for a stable. Icarus stood before her, his white body shining magnificently from his recent bath and brush down. Once he was clean, he nudged her hip with his nose, telling her to offer up the goods. She giggled and held out an apple for him to munch on.

"Silly guy." She uttered as she drew a brush through his mane. What with her reoccurring magic lessons, she didn't have much time to train with her pegasus like she used to. However, seeing to his needs was something that she could never put off and she was overjoyed to find that he missed her as well. "It's only been a few weeks..."

"Hi, Cordelia! It's been a while since I've seen you in here." greeted Sumia as she lead her mare in for a bathing of her own.

"Morning Sumia." She returned the friendly smile. "I suppose it has been some time... My magic lessons have been taking up most of my training periods I'm afraid."

"Hehe, yeah, I know. How are they coming along? Anymore funny stories to share?" Sumia giggled as she tied her mare to a post. Once the animal was secured, she pulled out a brush of her own and began to smooth it over the mares short coat.

"They're coming along just fine. And no more funny stories. I've been very careful about practicing while others are in the vicinity."

"I guess dumping a sand dune on Frederick pretty much tops them all. Anything after that just doesn't compare, huh?"

"You could say that..." Cordelia replied, a small chuckle of her own lacing her words.

"And what about Henry?"

Cordelia stopped smoothing her brush through Icarus's mane for a moment before carrying on.

"What about him?..."

"You know... Are you liking him any better? You spend so much time with him now that I assume you've become fairly close...?"

Cordelia pondered Sumia's observation. It was true. Ever since her first magic lesson with him they had been nigh inseparable. She had even been shirking her Pegasus Knight duties just so she could pursue a path in magic. And she had to admit, he wasn't as bad as she had originally thought. His quirks still surprised her and his 'hobbies' still remained strictly his own... But he _was_ rather funny, and quite fun if she allowed herself to partake in his own special brand of antics. It was also a plus that he listened to her every word with great interest. All in all, she found herself a little fonder of the Dark Mage.

"I suppose he doesn't bother me as much as I thought he would. He's pretty unique so...that takes some getting used to. But he's actually a very good teacher. I've already mastered the first two books in the Wind line of magic and it's only been two weeks. I'm quite eager to try out Fire and Thunder, though he says I should stick to Wind for now. Once I have three books under my belt, then we can move on."

Sumia gave her a smile, friendly and understanding, but also a little bit knowing, as if she knew something Cordelia didn't.

"That's so exciting! It sounds like you're making a lot of progress. Pretty soon we'll have another mage in our ranks AND a wedding to plan!"

The brush seemed to sprout wings of its own because it slipped from Cordelia's hand and flew a good ten feet from her location.

"N-now hold right there! It hasn't been _that_ long! I'm nowhere near ready for that!" She stammered, her cheeks growing hot at her friends crazy assumption.

"Oh, I guess it is a little too soon to be picking out wedding dresses just yet..." Sumia said, her smile taking on a much softer look. "But I'm just so happy for you! Everything seems to be going really well! Severa has been in a noticeably better mood ever since the two of you have made an effort to get to know each other better. And you should hear the way Henry talks about you..." Her smile became a little more distant as she carefully dragged her brush down her mares neck. Cordelia's own expression became hard as she stared holes through her friend.

"Well? What does he say about me?" She demanded, perhaps a little too quickly.

"Huh?" Sumia glanced over at Cordelia, her expression taking on a sheepish appearance as her cheeks colored rosey as well. "Oh, uh, s-sorry... I think I've said too much. Besides, wouldn't you rather find out on your own?"

Cordelia glared.

"That's not fair, Sumia! You can't tell me something and not expect me to be curious! And how am I supposed to find out exactly?"

"Er, well, he's not exactly one for secrets... I suppose you could just ask him yourself?"

"If that's the case, then you could just as easily tell me."

"I guess..." Sumia trailed off. She was clearly losing the battle. "But wait! You just said that you're not ready for marriage. So, that means that you don't like him in that way, right? So, what difference does it make what he says about you?"

Cordelia could feel her cheeks growing hotter. Who knew Sumia could be so astute?

"It makes zero difference to the matter... But I'm still curious. Anyone would be."

"Hehe, whatever you say, Cordelia."

Cordelia continued to shoot a glare her friends way but Sumia merely pursed her lips and continued in the grooming of her mare. Deciding to drop the subject and give Sumia the cold shoulder, Cordelia set about dressing Icarus, blanket, saddle, reigns and all. Just as she was about to lead him out of the tent, Sumia finally cracked.

"Oh, alright, you win!" She cried, throwing the brush into the empty bucket that sat at her feet. She ducked under the mares neck and hurried to stop Cordelia from leaving. "I can't hold it in any longer. He thinks you're AMAZING! Like, so nice and soo beautiful! I asked him how the two of you were getting along the other day and all he could talk about was you! I don't think you realize the effect you're having on him because he's perfectly smitten! Oh, gosh, it's soo cute to hear him gush about you!" Sumia sang, dancing on her toes in the most child-like way.

Cordelia felt as if her face were on fire and her belly might burst.

"R-really? He says all of that?"

"YES!" Sumia practically shouted.

"Oh, my..." Cordelia said breathlessly. She cast her gaze to the ground, unsure of what else to say other than, "That was...fast..."

"Hmm?" Sumia hummed, her expression still full of glee and excitement.

"Oh, uh, nothing... Gods, I hadn't planned on anything happening quite so soon..."

"Well, to be fair, I think he's always had a bit of a crush on you. This isn't the first time that he's said anything nice about you. Meeting your daughter and getting closer to you most likely just made him a little more vocal about it."

"Right, I should have known... And here I am, going out to complicate things more..." She sighed, taking hold of the reigns once more and moving past Sumia.

"Er, where are you going? And what do you mean by 'complicate things'?"

Stopping for the briefest of moments, Cordelia looked back at her friend.

"As thanks for all that he's taught me, I sort of promised to take him for a ride on Icarus... And by 'complicate things'... I'm not so sure anymore."

With a final sigh, Cordelia left the tent and a still-smiling Sumia.

...

Cordelia watched him for a moment. He was standing alone at their designated meeting spot, his back facing her.

Well, not alone exactly. His flock of crows were gathered around, cawing and hopping about. One sat perched on his shoulder and flapped it's wings appreciatively when he gave it something from his hand. She had grown accustomed to the birds presence over the course of the past two weeks and was not at all surprised when they too, were waiting for her. Much like their human counterpart, they had sort of grown on her as well.

But it was Henry that held her attention. In a way, she already knew how he felt. He may have been the most difficult Shepherd to read but it didn't always take words to express oneself. She could tell in the way he hung on her every word, the way he followed her around outside of lessons, how he instinctively drew near her whenever they were together, the way that his smile seemed to change when shining for her... It was in his subtleties and mannerisms that she knew. After all, she of all people knew exactly what a crush looked like and could spot the signs easily. In a sad way, it made her heart ache for him.

Cordelia rattled her head, telling herself that she simply needed more time.

Tugging Icarus to follow, she pulled the pegasus to where Henry was tossing something meaty to the crows and much to her amusement, talking to them; a weird mixture of human words and 'caws'.

"Aand one more for Henrietta! Nyahaha..." He said as he held out his palm to the crow on his shoulder. The crow quickly snatched the morsel from his hand.

"Hey, Henry." She called, shooing away a few birds to get closer to him.

"Ah, hi Cordie! Get a load of _this_ murder scene! Nyahaha!" He laughed as he emptied an entire satchel of weirdly colored pieces of meat. Every crow dove for the spilled morsels, converging to the center and looking like a feathery mass of hunger induced violence.

"Henry, you shouldn't tease them like that. I hate to see them fight."

"Haha, hey! They act like this whether I'm feeding them or not! I can't help it if they have awful table manners, ahaha!"

"Well, they wouldn't have to fight if there had been plenty to go around in the first place."

"Pffft, you _reaally_ expect me to go around to every single dead enemy soldier on the battlefield and collect their eyeballs? Jeez, Cordie, you're even more morbid than I am, nyahaha!"

"Those are eyeballs?!" She started, jumping back in surprise when one rolled away from the feeding frenzy to stare up at her, wide-eyed. A small crow flapped out of the chaos to peck the ball right off the ground.

"Yup. They love them, eat 'em up like they were grapes! Never tried one myself. I wonder..." He questioned, tapping a finger to his chin as he contemplated.

"Ew! And so weird..." Cordelia sneered as she moved Icarus into position. "Forget about eyeballs for a moment. Are you ready for you're first pegasus flight?"

The expression on his face couldn't have looked more ecstatic.

"I sure am! I've been waiting for this for ages!"

He hastily stuffed the satchel into his shoulder bag then slipped his head and one arm through the strap, situating it under his cloak and out of sight.

"Wonderful. First, it's always a good idea to let the pegasus see you, so that they feel acquainted. Pegasi, like horses, spook easily and need to feel comfortable with their riders. Why don't you step forward and say 'Hi'."

Henry did as he was told, stepping forward slowly while stretching his hand out to the animals nose for a sniff. Icarus brushed his lips over Henry's hand as he smelled him for familiarity. Then, Henry did something that shocked her completely.

He opened his mouth wide and drew in a deep breath before releasing it all in a loose-lipped raspberry.

"Prbrbrbrbrt! Hi, Icarus! You remember me, don'cha?"

"Heh, uh, what are you doing?..." She asked, trying not to laugh at his bizarre greeting.

"I'm saying 'Hi' in his language! You know, being friendly and all that. Pegasus is pretty much Horse, just a different dialect, but I think he understands, hehe."

He was right. Icarus returned the greeting with a shake of his head before nudging Henry in the shoulder.

"Nyahaha, sorry big guy! I don't have any apples today. Unless you want a nice, juicy eyeball? I think I might have one left..." He said as he reached up to scratch Icarus on the nose.

Cordelia watched with a smile before dumbly asking how he knew her pegasus.

"Well, I love animals! I'm always stopping to say hello to all the mounts but Icarus and Minerva are my favorites. Sully's horse is kind of a jerk in a conversation, haha."

She suddenly remembered that he was indeed a frequent visitor to the stables and paddocks.

"Right! You've helped care for him before..." She said as she patted the animal on his neck.

"Mhm. And I would bring him apples since they're his favorite."

Cordelia couldn't help but smile a little more.

"That's very kind of you, Henry. Well, since you already seem to know each other quite well, shall we hop on?"

Stepping into the stirrup, Cordelia hoisted herself into the saddle and immediately scooted forward as far as she could while holding a hand out to Henry. He took hold(the same magnetic pull she had felt the first time she held his hand still lingered between them) and copied her movements, placing a foot in the stirrup then swinging his other leg over the saddle to sit directly behind her, his body very nearly flush with hers. The closeness sent a prickle down her neck and a jolt in her chest.

"Are you comfortable? Do you have enough room?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. This'll be so much fun! I've never flown before!"

He cried happily, practically bouncing in the saddle behind her.

"Well, you're in for a treat then because nothing ever compares to your first time." She said with excitement in her own voice. She had never taken anyone flying before. "And you might want to hold on. Icarus is much faster than he looks."

"Yes, ma'am!" Henry obeyed, sliding his arms around her sides to hold tightly to her waist. Even though she told him to do so, the innocent contact felt much more intimate than it should've.

To rid the nervous thought from her mind, Cordelia flicked the reigns and kicked gently with her heels to urge Icarus into a run. The pegasus lurched forward, lengthening his strides to gather enough speed and momentum before stretching his wings was far as they would go, flapping them vigorously to achieve lift-off. As they left the ground behind and ascended ever-higher, Cordelia smiled when she heard Henry laugh louder than she had ever heard from him before.

"This is awesome!" He yelled into her ear over the rush of wind and feathers.

"Isn't it the best?!" She yelled over her shoulder. She had turned her head slightly to make herself heard, then chuckled when she saw that his flock had taken flight after them, beating their tiny, black wings furiously to catch up. They dotted the sky all around them, flying above and below, racing ahead and trailing behind like a laughable avian guard. Now, Cordelia could say that she had flown with a flock of crows.

"Hahahaha, I guess they couldn't pass up the chance to fly with you, either!" Henry yelled, removing a hand from her waist to point out the lead crow. His laughter was infectious and Cordelia couldn't help the mirth that bubbled out of her at the sight.

"Do you want to go higher?!" She yelled over her shoulder yet again

"DO I?!" was his rambunctious response.

With another tug on the reigns, she commanded Icarus to climb higher, leaving the treetops to soar with the clouds. The instantaneous jump in height was so unexpected that Henry quickly flung his arm around her waist again to hold her as tightly as he could. Of course, she didn't want him to fall, but the feeling of being embraced by him, of being pulled to his body, made her heart pound and her skin crawl, a feeling that made her squirm when it dawned on her that she found the contact wasn't wholly unpleasant.

Shifting her focus from the feel of his arms wrapped around her stomach to the view that splayed out below them, Cordelia found tranquility in the flight.

The last two weeks saw the Shepherds out of the hostile Plegian desert and to a more welcoming and familiar environment. The Ylissean countryside was green and peaceful, and thankfully, not as warm. The breeze felt cool against her exposed skin and the scent of pine and fresh mountain air wafted high up into the atmosphere, reminding her of how good it felt to be back in her homeland.

The higher they climbed, the farther they could see. Farms sat in squared patches all over the landscape while an evergreen forest covered much of the jutting mountain range. Off in the distance, a lake spilled through the trees and sparkled in the sunlight, inviting her to direct Icarus to its crystalline waters. With a downturn of his wings, Icarus carried them lower and lower, until the lakes beach was just underneath him. Preemptively moving his legs, and with the grace and stamina of a well-trained pegasus, he touched down with barely any shock, galloping far enough to slow down before coming to a stop altogether.

Henry released his hold on her to throw his arms sky-high in pure, childish excitement.

"That...was...INCREDIBLE! You have to take me flying more often! That was the best feeling EVER, ahahaha!"

"Haha, well, I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. We do have a return trip to make, you know."

"Hehe, yeah. But, I mean we should do this a lot more. Oh! We should pair up in battle! We could fly just like this, and we could use our magic to blow up enemies on the ground and knock others out of the sky right to their deaths! Plus, we'd get to the enemy general faster than anyone! Man, would we make an unstoppable team!" He chattered as he jumped down from his position behind her to wobble a little on his feet. Once he had gained his balance, he held a hand out to her to help her down but she waved it away politely. It was already bad enough that the ride required him to be so close to her, more hand-holding was unnecessary; things were becoming more confusing with each brush of skin, each passing glance. She just couldn't do that to him, not yet, at least.

"That would be quite...efficient..." She grunted as she leapt down from the saddle. Henry stepped back to allow her room to land. "Too bad pegasi tire easily."

"Oh, really? He seems fine to me." Henry said with a pat to Icarus's hip.

"We didn't fly all that far." Cordelia responded as she took up the reigns to lead him to the lake for a drink. Henry followed.

"Pegasi aren't as strong when in the air. Having to carry more than one passenger depletes their energy fast. I'm sure you can see the trouble that would cause in battle, having to constantly flap their wings to keep elevated due to the added weight... It certainly doesn't help that they're not made for gliding like wyverns are." She removed the reigns and bridle altogether and ran her hand along Icarus's side as he moved to the waters edge. "But don't get me wrong! I'd love to take you flying again! Just not during battle."

The smile on his face didn't appear disappointed so she hoped he understood.

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Shame though, we could have swept the field in one terrifying swoop, nyaha!" He even made a sweeping movement with his hand to illustrate the advantage they would have had.

"If you like flying so much, why don't you ask for a class change to wyvern rider? I don't think Robin would deny your request and it seems like something right up your alley." She asked.

Leaving Icarus to drink as much as he could, Cordelia walked away from the lake to stand in the shade of a nearby tree. The scene before her was breathtaking. The lake stretched from one shore to another and the water appeared glass-like, reflecting the forested mountains and blue sky on its smooth surface. Again, Henry followed her, ending his walk a little closer to her than she would have liked, but she made no move to increase the distance.

"Naw, that would never work. If I can't use magic then I'm nothing, really. Besides, I would hate to have to fly by myself... Nope! Just plain ol' magic for plain ol' me! Haha."

"I don't know about that... And why wouldn't it work? Plenty of mages ride pegasi, surely a wyvern is no different?" She leaned against the trunk of the tree and slid it's length to sit down. The shade was so relaxing and the scenery so beautiful that she didn't mind staying there for a while longer. From her peripheral she watched Icarus leave the lake to lumber towards the edge of the forest to nip at the blades of grass that grew long and wild there.

"Plenty of _women_ mages ride pegasi." Henry corrected, a finger held up to mark his point. "Pegasi connect better with women, that's why you don't see any male pegasus riders. If a guy wants to be an aerial unit then he's given a wyvern. And the reason you don't see any mages riding wyverns is because there's nothing magical about them. When it comes down to it, a wyvern is nothing but brute instinct and defiance. Not a good combination for channeling magic, nyaha."

"I see... I'm afraid I've never thought about any of that before."

Henry shrugged before crossing his legs to join her on the ground. Still, he sat a little too closely.

"I guess you wouldn't know any of that unless you were actually trying to become one? I only know that because it was required learning at school."

"Oh? Where did you go to school?"

Henry shuffled through the bed of rocks that laid at their feet, plucking one from the earth before tossing it in his hand.

"This super exclusive mage academy deep in Plegia. My parents sent me there to get rid of me because I was such a handful. Anything that had to do with magic I had to learn. So, that's how I know I'd make a terrible wyvern rider!"

"Ah... Well, I'm sure they had their reasons... Maybe they felt that it would be a much better life for you?"

"Nope! They didn't care how I turned out, so long as I wasn't their problem anymore. Don't blame them though, I'm quite difficult to deal with, ahaha." As he said this, he drew his arm back, rock still in hand, then launched it out and across the lake where it skipped several times on the surface before dropping into the waters depths. Cordelia watched the ripples expand then dissolve fluidly with a faint sadness in her eyes. Two whole weeks and she still knew next to nothing about him...

"That's terrible... How could a parent give up their child like that?..." She tried not to sound so downcast, but his experience of abandonment hit a little too close to home, even if she hadn't been the child to be abandoned...

"Yeah, I suppose it is pretty awful. I would never do that to my own kids. But I did get one hell of an education out of it! It even helped me to enter the Plegian army with rank! Of course, this was after you guys toppled the Mad King. Now that I think about it, I'm kinda glad I didn't have to fight you. Who knows how that would've turned out! Nyahaha!"

Despite him being a full-blooded Plegian, it never occurred to her that at one point he was, in fact, playing for the opposing side. It definitely brought up more than a few interesting questions for him, but he had proven time and again that he was one of Chrom's Shepherds and belonged with them.

Before she could stop herself, the question slipped from her lips.

"Would you ever go back?"

He had just thrown another stone, this one skipping even farther than the first, when he turned his head to look at her quizzically.

"Huh? You mean like, go back to Plegia?"

"Yes."

He cast his gaze up to the branches of the tree as he thought for a moment.

"No. At least, not to stay. Too many bad memories... Sure, there were good times too, but the bad outweighs the good. Besides, I'd much rather travel the world with you and Severa than go back there. Or we could stay in Ylisse, I don't really care. Unless... You'd want to go there?..."

She shook her head. His sentiment was sweet, the way he included her and their daughter in his ideal world... If only...

"We were just there and quite frankly, I'm glad to be out of it."

"Haha, yeah, me too. I hate the desert... Even if I were to go back, they'd just label me a traitor anyways. Then I'd have to face mom and dad and that's a whole can of lindworms I'd rather _not_ open, hehe. And if I had stayed, I probably would have killed myself by now. So, being here with you-" He paused when he caught a glimpse of her devastated face. "Sorry, was that too depressing?"

"A little bit..." She stated firmly. It wasn't the first time he mentioned suicide but it still bothered her to hear him talk so casually about it.

For a while, they remained quiet. Henry took to lounging back with his elbows propping him up, legs stretched out and his gaze set on the opposite shore. Whatever he was thinking, she didn't know. The smile was still in place, though it wasn't nearly as big as before. His eyes were cracked just barely but she was still able to make out the silver-grey coloring and was suddenly reminded that Severa had precisely the same color in her eyes.

Cordelia slowly turned away from looking at him. What was she so afraid of? Wasn't this exactly what she was supposed to be doing? Opening up and putting herself out there so that they may pursue a relationship together? Every time she got together with him, whether it was for lessons in magic, or meals, or family time at Severa's behest, she would tell herself that this was right. This person was who she needed to be with. And she liked him, she really did. When she remembered the tantrum she threw in the beginning in regards to his character, she felt like an even bigger brat than Severa. There was absolutely nothing wrong with him, other than his bizarre interests and fascinations that is. But even those paled in comparison to his friendliness and cheerful attitude. And he certainly wasn't afraid to show it, something she wasn't entirely willing to admit that she admired greatly. In some ways, he was a better person than her.

So, if she liked him, what was holding her back?

She sighed as she dropped her head back onto her shoulders. The sky shone a brilliant blue through the tree's canopy and the more she lost herself in the color, the more she realized what the problem was; he just wasn't the same as him. And that...that was the tragedy of it all...

To keep herself from bursting into frustrated tears, she opened her mouth and asked him the only thing that came to mind.

"Henry? Why do mounted mages ride black horses and pegasi?..."

"Why? Thinking of promoting to Dark Flier, hmmm?" He questioned with a musical tone in his voice. He even poked her in the cheek like he did when he felt she was being particularly silly. The gesture brought a small smile to her lips so she allowed him to keep doing so.

"I don't know... All this talk of pegasi had me remembering a peculiar dream I had not too long ago."

Before he could beg her to tell him all about it(she knew that he liked when she disclosed things to him), she folded her knees and shifted her position so that she was facing him and recounted her dream from two weeks prior. After a good ten minutes of story-telling, she clasped her hands in her lap and watched him expectantly.

"Don't try to analyze the dream. I think it's fairly straightforward; something bad is set to happen and I'll make it out as a brand new person. At least, my perspective will change. That's what Sumia told me, anyways... But even she was unable to tell me the significance of black pegasi. And you seem quite knowledgable on the subject... Any ideas?"

"Ha! I've never been called 'knowledgeable' before! 'Dunce' and 'moronic' sure, but never that!" He laughed, causing her to feel quite sorry for him. Whoever had the nerve to call him such things was obviously just as ignorant as she had been.

"They use black mounts because, well, they're black! Obviously, nyahaha."

He had to be joking.

"Er, is there some significance to their coat coloring?..."

"Mhm. It's the same principle as to why witches keep black cats around. Black animals channel magic extremely well. You know how spell casting requires a lot of concentration?"

She nodded in agreement.

"Well, riding requires concentration, too. And when mages are in the field, controlling your horse or pegasus takes up half your concentration right there. So, they're given black mounts so that they don't have to focus so hard on either one. The black pegasus allows your magic to flow much more freely, which makes spell casting easier and you're still able to fly just fine! It's pretty cool when you think about it. I'm DEFINITELY getting a black cat when this whole warmongering business is over and we have a place to live."

She sat back and absorbed all that he told her. Black pegasi amped ones magic, huh? That was certainly an interesting little tidbit. But if black pegasi were so crucial to an aerial mage, why weren't all mages flying around in a squadron of black death?

"One, not all mages are female, remember? Hehehe..." He said when she asked. He even pointed to himself to prove his point. "And two, black pegasi are uber expensive. Trust me, I've looked into it. They're so sought after by mages that breeders learned to up the price every time one is born. And the black coat is already rare within pegasi so when a mare is pregnant with the possibility of having a black foal, the breeder auctions off its birthrights to the highest bidder. And there's just no way a soldier could afford one on their meager salary. In fact, most of the black pegasi you see were gifts from rich patrons since they're pretty much the only people who could get their hands on one."

His winded explanation left her feeling just a little bit disappointed. But if anything, that just solidified Icarus's place in her heart. Not that she would ever willingly give him up, that is.

"Oh, well, that's a fine frenzy, isn't it?... And what about black horses? They don't seem quite as rare as black pegasi..."

"Pfft, black horses are a dime-a-dozen. I mean, yeah, they're useful for Dark Knights and all that jazz, and sure, they're still heavily priced when compared to a horse of a different color. But black pegasi are like gods, whereas black horses are like royalty. They're still good, just not _as_ good... For obvious reasons, nyaha."

"Yes, I can see why..." She sighed as she went back to staring out over the mirror of water. "I guess Dark Flier is out of the question, then."

"Aww, don't sound so upset. I like Icarus better anyways. He knows some of the best jokes, haha."

She smirked at the thought of her pegasus being a standup comedian. All of his jokes would probably be about apples, the big glutton...

"But if you reaally want to do something with magic, then _you_ could get a class change. It's like I said before; you'd make one awesome sorceress! And we'd finally be able to pair up in battle! And don't worry about he enemy getting the drop on you, I'll watch your back until you get the hang of it."

She couldn't help the way her smile grew. Why did he have to be such a sweetheart when she was trying desperately to sort out her issues?

"That's very sweet of you to offer, Henry..." She said with a genuine smile. He returned the gesture, his own smile more hopeful and happy than she had yet to see. "But I have to decline. My place is up there," She pointed to the realm of blue sky and white clouds above them. "Where I can watch over you better."

...

The return flight home still thrilled him but a certain somberness hung about her. The sun was making its dip towards the earth and it's dying light cast a shadow so dark and sad over the land that it felt like her own despair was literally filling the world. As much as she liked the feel of his arms wrapped loosely about her hips, she just couldn't get over the fact that they weren't someone else's.

She had been hung up on Chrom for so long that the prospect of thrusting those feelings onto another man made her fearful of her heart. She knew what she had to do, she just couldn't picture herself actually following through with it.

Upon reaching camp, the sunset was near over, painting the sky with its leftover colors just before the night wiped it all away. She was grateful for the darkness because it would allow her to hide with ease. But as dark as the evening became, it still wasn't quite dark enough.

As Cordelia steered Icarus back to the paddock, and a stablehand rushed forward to collect the reigns from her, as Henry jumped down from his seat and yet again, held out both hands for her to jump into herself, she caught a glimpse of her dear friend and her beloved prince making quite a scene in the dark alley between two nearby tents. The way they held onto each other and buried their faces into each other's necks was enough to make her sick with envy.

She had no right to complain; they were married after all. But Sumia had definitely known how she felt about him, even before he decidedly proposed to the klutzy Pegasus Knight. What gutted her the most was that her friend, her dear, sweet friend of longer than she cared to count, had said 'yes'.

It was the betrayal of friendship and trust that hurt the most.

Before clearing her head of malicious thoughts, Cordelia leapt from the saddle into Henry's still-waiting arms and grabbed him by the sleeve of his sweater. He simply laughed out a "Hey!" but protested no further. He even complied when she dragged him through camp in a whirlwind of secretive giggles, flirty glances, and feelings of urgentness and resentment(the last feeling was all her own). Clearly, she was out of her mind with jealousy but she didn't care.

Thankfully, she had enough sense to enter her tent and not his because in a matter of seconds, she had her arms draped around his neck, drawing his face to hers. He held back for a moment, opening his eyes wide to watch her with curiosity. When she closed her own and moved even closer, he relented and did the same.

Their first kiss was soft but so full of need that the softness didn't hold out for very long. Soon enough, she was kissing him so furiously that his hold on her hips tightened from the same need, but also from nerves.

She forced his mouth open with her lips and invited his tongue to roam hers, licking and twisting with so much want that she was surprised by how controlled he was being. The many feelings that drove her had her panting in his mouth and he merely giggled at how needy she was being. If she had been in her right state of mind, then she would have been appalled by her lack of self-control. But in this moment, she didn't care.

Having had enough of simply just kissing, she threw her head back and began to fuss with his cloak, becoming visibly agitated when it refused to come undone. Picking up on her intentions, Henry quickly undid the cloak himself and tossed it to the ground in front of her tent flap. She busied her hands with the sash around his waist and he carefully flicked a finger against the metal plating of her light armor with a silly grin.

"Undress me." She whispered breathlessly as she placed his hands on her back where the leather straps held her armor together.

"Hehe, yes, ma'am!" He chuckled quietly as he did as he was told.

She held a finger to his lips to shush him before she went back to removing his clothes.

Garments dropped to floor in soundless heaps but her armor landed a little more loudly, clanging with shame at having been removed so callously, but again, she didn't care. All that mattered was not feeling so alone tonight.

Once he was sufficiently naked, she placed a hand on his chest(toned, she was pleased to see) and shoved him back onto her bedroll where he watched with undivided attention as she pulled her dress over head by the seams of it's skirt, effectively turning it inside out and revealing her slender body. She was also pleased to hear his breath hitch in his throat at(what she could only hope to be) such a lovely sight. It didn't matter that her chest was small because he still looked at her with the same, sweet smile that she had come to associate as just hers.

She swiftly removed her underclothes then dropped down on top of him. His hips were thin but not boney like she had imagined, able to support her weight while simultaneously rubbing against her thighs. As she sat atop him, she could feel him becoming more excited, the bulge that rested hard between her legs eliciting a more carnal behavior from the both of them.

Without a word, she dropped her face to his once again and kissed him even harder, shoving her tongue in and out his mouth and biting at his lip. He replied in kind, running his smooth hands up and down her sides, intensifying the need for each other to electrifying proportions.

Breaking the kiss to sit up once more, she watched his eyes flutter open to reveal their cloudy color. With little more than a hum, she took him between her legs to her core, sliding down on him slowly with gentle but eager motions. Henry gasped at the contact and tossed his head back into her pillow, his gasp becoming a guttural moan as she rocked awkwardly against him in his lap.

The tightness and soreness that she felt was totally new to her, but it wasn't until she felt the cringe-worthy tear of something inside her that she really began to relish in the feeling. She moved her hips a little faster, grinding harder with each new sensation. A squeal escaped her lips when the sensations became too much, gripping her body so that her release was made all the more pleasant as she practically collapsed onto his chest in exhausted pleasure.

But Henry was not far behind. Taking her by her hips, he held her in place as he moved in her, urging her to bounce just a little more so that, he too could find his release. She obliged and soon his breathing became labored and his movements more rushed. As his grip on her tightened and his nails dug crescent shaped marks into her skin, he bucked his hips and moaned deeply one last time, a sound that had her realizing with utter shame, that as much as she liked hearing him moan, she hated herself even more.


End file.
